


Lonely Like Me

by greendalecoolcat



Category: Community (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Friends With Benefits, Friends to Lovers, Mild Smut, Post Season 4 AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-02
Updated: 2019-04-03
Packaged: 2019-10-21 05:40:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 47,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17636984
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/greendalecoolcat/pseuds/greendalecoolcat
Summary: When she saw him sitting alone in a booth, an empty glass of scotch in his hand, she was taken aback by how lonesome he looked. When she knew him during the years before, when she was merely a teenager, she imagined that he set himself as the focal point of the room. Always the center of every woman’s attention. He would catch someone’s eye, he would buy her a drink, and then he would take her home.





	1. Lonesome

When she saw him sitting alone in a booth, an empty glass of scotch in his hand, she was taken aback by how lonesome he looked. When she knew him during the years before, when she was merely a teenager, she imagined that he set himself as the focal point of the room. Always the center of every woman’s attention. He would catch someone’s eye, he would buy her a drink, and then he would take her home.

It was all very cinematic.

But now, she looked at him and realized that she may have dreamt up that image of Jeff Winger. She could have blamed it on her youthfulness, dreaming up things that were different from reality.

She had been accused of it before.

But maybe that was the reason why she made the decision to have a little fun tonight. She was older, it had been a while since she’d seen him. She figured he’d get a kick out of it. She spoke in hushed tones when she leaned over to the bartender, and then watched, as he was delivered a fresh glass of scotch. Neat.

She giggled to herself, as she watched him accept the drink and smirk, looking around the room to see which beautiful woman with model like features bought him his favorite scotch. This kind of thing probably happened to him all the time.

Of course, there was no one to fess up, since Annie had been the woman. So she waited until he stopped his search and pursed his lips, taking a sip of the amber liquid. He still looked dismal, even after receiving the unexpected gesture from the mystery woman in the room, so after another minute, she excused herself from her work friends (a very liberal use of the word) and sauntered to the darkened corner of the place. He still hadn’t lifted his head as she approached, it wasn’t until she slipped easily inside his booth that he acknowledged her presence.

She could see the smirk return to his lips as he made eye contact, probably expecting it to be one of his typical nightly conquests. She wished she had a camera with her, because the surprise on his face when he saw that it was her sitting across from him was absolutely priceless.

“Hey handsome,” she said with a gleam in her eye. She kept her voice light, and teasing, because that was all this was. She was just having some fun with him.

His shocked expression relaxed into one of familiarity, like he was ready to spar with her. Like they had so many times in the four years before.

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were hitting on me, babe.”

Annie scoffed, laughter in her voice. He was playing along, and she loved it. “Is that how you talk to all the women who buy you drinks?”

“Only when they’re dressed like that,” he raked his eyes over her and she blushed. Everywhere. She was only wearing a black pencil skirt and white blouse, her hair fell in waves over her shoulders. When she agreed to go for drinks with her coworkers, she threw on a shade of red lipstick. It was Friday night after all, and it never hurt to put in a little effort. “What are you doing here tonight?” He asked gently, no longer playing the character of sexist barfly from the 1920s. (He definitely checked her out while he was _out_ of character though. But she didn’t mind.)

As her blush faded, she smiled and folded her hands on the table. “I’m here with some coworkers. Just unwinding from the week. What about you?”

He smiled slightly, almost wistfully. “I guess I’m doing the same thing. Minus the coworkers.”

“I didn’t know you came to this bar.” When he looked at her confused, she added, “It’s no L Street.”

He laughed and shrugged. “I like to change it up every once in a while.”

She didn’t know why, maybe it was the martini she had over at the bar, or just the genuine excitement of running into him, but she was feeling playful and bold. Friendly flirting never hurt anyone and she didn’t know why, but it looked like he needed some cheering up. “If I had known you came to this bar, I’d have agreed to go to Friday night drinks more often.”

He grinned, tilting his head at her. He seemed to like this side of her.

She did too.

“How’s the job going? Everything you hoped it would be?” He asked, taking a sip of the scotch. She wasn’t exaggerating when she said she hadn’t seen him in a while. She hadn’t seen him since she graduated. He attended the group’s graduation in early May, and it was then that she told him that she got a job as a pharmaceutical rep (“just one step closer to hospital administration!”) and that she’d be starting the following week. It was now the first week of June and she was three weeks in.

“It’s great!” She knew her smile was convincing, but she just hoped her tone matched.

He squinted at her, and without saying anything, he pushed his drink towards her.

She sighed and relaxed her shoulders, dropping the façade. It wasn’t that she hated her job, it was just that it wasn’t exactly stimulating. She spent more time giving people pens than she did visiting hospitals. She accepted the drink and took a sip, not meeting his eyes as she explained. “I like it. It pays well. I’d just rather be the person managing the hospitals that I’m regularly selling things to.”

When she finally looked at him again, he was watching her with a soft expression, almost like he understood. But maybe he did, because he spent four years working towards a job that he once had, after losing it (under very reasonable circumstances). “You’ll get there,” he said. “This is just one more step before that, remember?”

She smiled instantly, appreciating the fact that he remembered their previous conversation about the matter. At the time she thought he seemed distant, like he wasn’t really listening. But now she knew he hung on to every word. “Right. Just one more step.” She was still smiling when she pushed his drink back towards him, the drink that she playfully purchased for him.

They spent the next hour chatting over the lowlight of the room, catching up and talking about their friends. At one point, he called over a waiter and got her a drink, a regular martini, because she didn’t have one. He asked her if she should be getting back to her friends, but she batted her hand and said it was fine. They’d see her on Monday. He smiled at that and seemed grateful for the company.

When it was time to leave and they both finished their drinks, he walked her to her car and they stood in a brief silence staring at each other. She was the first to speak and it felt natural that she was, she was the one to initiate everything after all.

“This was really nice, I’m glad we ran into each other,” she toyed with the strap of her bag.

“Same here, although I will admit that you are the last person I ever expected to run into at a bar,” he smirked down at her.

She playfully rolled her eyes. “We should do it again sometime. I miss hanging out with you.”

“I miss it too.”

He sounded genuine and for some reason that surprised her. She went to hug him, and he accepted readily like he was anticipating the gesture. They held it for probably longer than necessary but when they pulled away they were both smiling. He mumbled a goodnight and waited for her get into the car before he gave a small wave and headed towards his.

As she started her car, she came to the realization that she felt better than she had in weeks. Lighter, happier.

Like maybe she now had something to look forward to.

 

 


	2. Courage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Annie makes a decision.

 

She thought about him all week. The way he looked sitting alone with a drink in his hand. The way his eyes lit up when he realized it was her who bought him that drink. The way he smiled at her when she teased him. And the way he felt in her arms when she hugged him goodnight.

They were friends, and it was perfectly normal to miss friends. And maybe this friend took up a little extra space in her heart, and maybe there would always be some unresolved feelings there. But would it really hurt to spend more time with him? He said it himself that he missed it.

She couldn’t think of a single reason why it would be a bad idea to makes plans with him. So when she texted him on Friday afternoon at work, she felt confident that he would say yes. And when he replied to her minutes later with a simple “ _8:00?_ ” she knew she made the right decision.

They were friends first, but if something more came out of it then who was she to turn down a good thing? She couldn’t spend her time agonizing over the possibilities. Too many variables.

\---

They seemed to make the decision together, a wordless conversation that began with their normal banter, which eventually led to the flirtatious side of their relationship. This was the second time they had done this, met up in the low-lit bar to catch each other up on their respective lives. But this night, it was more than that. Because this time he held her gaze a little bit longer and she blushed a little harder than usual. And sometimes they touched. When they clinked their drinks together and their knuckles brushed, or when their knees knocked together under the table.

They started as happy accidents, but after their second round, it wasn’t an accident that his hand found hers on the table top, or that her foot slid up and down his leg. It became like a game, to see how far each of them would go.

If this was a game, it was one she knew she could win.

“I’m glad you were free tonight,” she said from across the table. She looked at him from beneath her lashes as her finger smoothed along the rim of her glass.

He watched her closely, almost as if he was amused. “Same here,” he said. It seemed like he hesitated before he spoke again, contemplating whether or not to say what was on the tip of his tongue. But he said it anyway. “You’re easy to spend time with.”

She beamed at him, and it gave her the courage to slide her hand over his again. Sure, they’d been somewhat flirtatious all evening, complimenting each other on their work attire, and keeping the conversation light with playful teasing. But it was still friendly, so the touching wasn’t awkward. It was comforting and energizing all at once.

“It’s getting late,” she said.

He nodded, rubbing his thumb over knuckles briefly.

The first time, they left separately. This time however, Annie asked him for a ride home, and there was no answer other than yes on his lips.

In the car is was quiet, neither of them eager to fill the silence with music or conversation. It wasn’t until Jeff was driving closer to her neighborhood that she watched him closely, deciding to make her move.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen your place.”

He swallowed, keeping his eyes on the road. He nodded slowly, “What’s it been…since Christmas?”

She still watched him, waiting for a reaction. “Mhm. I think so.”

A smile teased his lips, still not giving her a glance. She had a feeling he caught on to the game she was playing. “Looks the same. Minus the decorations.”

“Hmm. I don’t know if I believe you.” She smiled purposely at his profile. “I think I have to see for myself.”

The smile slowly fell from his face and the truth of her words hung heavy in the air. She momentarily panicked, thinking that she took it too far, realizing that they weren’t on the same page that she previously thought. She felt herself sink into the seat beside him as they approached her building. She wanted to disappear. She couldn’t look at him.

It wasn’t until he completely passed her street and continued in the direction of his apartment. She quickly glanced at him and he still refused to make eye contact. But his knuckles were white as he gripped the steering wheel and she realized that they were once again on the same page.

It was a quiet walk up to his apartment, the air filled with a tension she didn’t recall ever experiencing. She wanted him and he wanted her right back, and they were headed towards something that they denied themselves for so long. She didn’t think she’d ever get to this place with him, and she realized that she wouldn’t be able to do this with just anybody.

It was when they reached his door that he finally looked at her, and although his eyes were hungry and filled with an intense desire, there was something else there, a softness that she recognized after years of dancing around one another. A softness that was present every time he let her a little more into his life.

And it was in that moment that she realized it would be okay, even if it was a one-time thing, even if it made things awkward for a while. They needed to do this at least once, and she would be a fool to let the opportunity slip through her fingers.

As soon as the door closed, she lunged for his mouth and he held her entire body against his, falling easily into her kiss as he walked backwards towards his bedroom. He kissed her like she knew he would, like it was the first time. It wasn’t lazy or hesitant. It was deep and promising, like he’d been waiting his entire life to do it. They only pulled away to breathe, and it was then that he asked her. “Are you sure about this?”

“Yes,” she breathed against his mouth.

When he kissed her again, it was softer as he walked her to the end of his bed. He took his time to just kiss her. Although she wanted his clothes off, she let herself enjoy the feel of his lips, the feel of his tongue swiping against hers. She ran her hands over his chest and the heat radiating through his shirt almost made her lightheaded.

She felt his hands on her back, his left hand trailing lower as he pressed her body more firmly against his. As she grew impatient, her hands flew to the buttons on his shirt and got to work. She pulled the fabric from his pants quickly, pushing the shirt off his shoulders. He pulled away from her mouth and chuckled at the way she gazed appreciatively at his abs. Her hands danced along his sides, unable to remain still as he started on the buttons of her blouse. She was already flushed from the kissing, but now he was undressing her. It was a moment they could never take back. He kissed her again and pulled at the zipper of her skirt, tugging gently until it fell to the floor.

She pulled away to look at the fabric at her feet, nervous to meet his eyes. But then she felt his thumb, gently lifting her chin to look at him. When he smiled, she felt some of her nerves dissipate, and it gave her the courage to work his belt, sliding it through the loops until it hit the floor. By the time he stepped out of his pants, her fingers were itching to touch him again.

They stood there, in the dim light of his bedroom, just taking each other in. She always knew his body was gorgeous, a work of art really, but now that it was right there in front of her, she wasn’t sure what to do first. Saving her from her inner turmoil, he playfully picked her up and tossed her on the bed. She laughed at the unexpected gesture, and now her nerves were just about gone, and she felt the excitement take over.

She reached for him and he crawled over her, grinning like she’d seen him do after the many times she scolded him for whatever reason. She pulled him down for a searing kiss, one that left him a little dazed when he came up for air. She sat up slightly, reaching behind her back, and he watched with anticipation, his fingers twitching against his thighs.

“Can you help me?” She whispered.

He gulped, nodding his head like he didn’t expect the question, “Uh. Yeah.” It reminded her of the time she let her hair down. For someone who was so large, he was surprisingly delicate every time he touched her. When he undid the clasp, he gently pulled the flimsy fabric away and took a moment to take her in.

She let out an amused laugh, knowing that her boobs were always a point of weakness for him. She decided to let him get an eyeful before she kissed the awestruck look off his face. She snorted and reached for him, pulling him against her. “Come here,” she whispered, and pressed their chests together. It felt amazing and drove her a little crazy. So when he kissed her again, she pulled him with her towards the mattress so they were finally horizontal again.

He kissed her from her lips to her breasts and lingered, nuzzling his nose against her skin. Her breathing picked up considerably, and she just waited, waited, waited for the moment he reached _right there_ , along the crease at her hip. He moved so slowly, like he knew every breath against her skin took her one step further into a lust-filled craze. Finally, he pulled the lace away, his dull nails scraping lightly against her thighs. He pulled them all the way off and he settled himself between her legs, waiting only a moment before he tasted her.

She shuttered beneath him, and it was enough to lift her hips towards him, like she couldn’t just possibly wait anymore. So he continued, easing the ache she felt within her core. Her breaths became more vocal and she didn’t know what to do with her hands. One squeezed her breast, sending more pleasure through her, and the other was fisted in his hair, because she couldn’t imagine doing this without touching him in some way.

His hands, however, remained at her hips, massaging the exposed skin that wasn’t receiving attention from his mouth. She kept her eyes open, wanting to watch all the ways he could make her gasp, make her moan in pleasure. After one particularly loud one, she could have sworn she saw a smirk on his lips.

It wasn’t long before she was coming against his mouth, and he gently kissed along the inside of her thighs as she came down from it. The gesture was so soft and sweet, that she needed to kiss him again.

“Jeff,” she said still breathlessly. “Come up here.” He followed her request and the softness in his gaze was unmistakable. Like something was coming to life inside him. She kissed him roughly, needing to reciprocate everything she was currently feeling. He tasted a little like her, but she realized she didn’t mind. Wordlessly, she reached for him in his boxers and the touch was enough to get him to lose his balance above her. His head fell to the crook of her neck as she massaged him.

“Condom,” he managed to breathe out. He began blindly reaching for his bedside drawer, faltering because she kept her hand around him.

“I have an IUD,” she whispered. “And I’m clean.”

He looked at her seriously, “Okay. I am too. Are you sure you’re okay with this?”

“Of course,” she said. “I trust you.”

And those seemed to be the magic words because he kissed her deeply, and it wasn’t long before he positioned himself to slip inside her.

He followed her nonverbal cues and pushed himself in slowly, groaning deeply. She gasped softly when he was fully inside, and they both remained still, relishing the feeling. She couldn’t believe this was the moment she waited years for, whether she wanted to admit it or not. But now, in bed with him, with him inside her, she knew this was what she wanted. Even if their relationship was undefined, or even if it was only a one-time thing.

He still hadn’t moved, only licked and nipped at her neck. She needed him to start moving. “Jeff…” she massaged his shoulders, urging him to move his hips. Before doing so, he captured her lips and kissed her deeply, like he needed to tell her just how present he was for this moment. She wanted him to relax, to know that this was everything she wanted. So she pulled his bottom lip between her teeth and bit gently. It made him laugh against her mouth and finally got him moving.

He pulled out slowly, watching her eyes close at the feeling. When he pushed back in, neither could help the moans that escaped their lips.

“Annie…you feel…” he let out another groan as he kept moving, unable to finish his sentence.

She gasped when she felt him _there_ and it wasn’t long before she came undone beneath him, involuntarily squeezing his shoulders until she was sure her nails left little imprints in his skin. He followed soon after, groaning her name into her hair as he let go.

He collapsed on top of her, but she didn’t mind, she was too busy catching her breath to really think about it. Jeff, on the other hand, was aware of his weight crushing her into the mattress, so with the little strength he had left, he lifted himself on one elbow and looked down at her. “You good?” He asked as he exhaled against her skin, his nose nudging her jaw.

She answered by pulling him in for a searching kiss. He laughed against her mouth, but soon stopped so he could kiss her back just as fiercely. When he could no longer hold himself up, he kissed his way to her ear and fell to his side. He slipped out of her and she felt empty, like she already missed him.

If that was what sex with Jeff Winger was like all the time, she never wanted to stop.

 

 

 


	3. Relief

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeff and Annie fall into a routine.

 

They did it twice that night. The second time was slower, lazier, and even more relaxed and carefree than the first time. She recalled the mix of laughs and moans that came from the both of them, no longer feeling the tension that was present during the first time.

When she left his apartment that night, she felt an immense amount of relief because they finally gave into the tension that they danced around for so long, but more than that, she felt confident. She felt like it was meant to happen, like she was meant to have sex with Jeff Winger.

Which of course, was a silly notion to have, but it was something they denied themselves for four long years and she felt as though they were entitled to it. And of course, there was a part of her that never really let go of the feelings she had for him. She hoped that maybe it was a start of something.

But there was still a part of her, in the deepest pit of her stomach, that feared Jeff didn’t feel the same way, that the night may have ruined everything. But when she crawled into her own bed that same night, he texted her.

_I had a really nice time with you tonight_

And it was that text that relaxed her, that brushed away her deepest fear because she knew Jeff. And she knew that when he regretted something, he ran far away from it. He shut it out of his life faster than anything she’d ever seen.

So that message, it meant something promising.

_Me too :)_

She went to sleep with a smile on her face, her mind replaying all the ways they made each other blush.

They continued to text each other throughout the week, just about random things going on at work, discussing when the next group dinner would be, and little messages to make each other smile. It made her week measurably brighter, especially after traveling to the various hospitals in the tristate area, only to return to a cubical that she shared with coworkers who didn’t seem all that interested in being friendly.

So it was no surprise that when she and Jeff made plans to meet at their usual place, it ended up being the most exciting part of her week. And if she was being honest with herself, it was difficult to concentrate on anything lately because all she could think about was jumping into bed with him again and thinking of the different ways he could unravel her. Just two nights ago when she was washing the dishes, Abed informed her that she washed the same dish three times. She was too distracted thinking of the sound Jeff made when she nibbled his ear…She was sure that once they did it again that she would be more present and focused…She was sure…

Eventually when they did fall into his bed again, they were both excited to pick up right where they left off. She was relieved to know that he was itching to get his hands on her, and he definitely made it known that he’d been waiting all week to do so.

After a few rounds, she laid on top of him, and lazily pressed kisses onto his neck while her hands played with his hair. He laid comfortably beneath her, his arms bent behind his head like he was the most content he’d ever been. She loved that they got to this point, where they were both comfortable and let their guards down, just enjoying each other’s company.

“How’d you get this scar?” Annie asked, pressing a kiss to his upper lip before taking a playful bite. There was a faint, yet noticeable scar that was never quite covered by his stubble. She always had noticed it, and for the better part of four years constantly fought the urge to reach over and trace the little mark with her finger.

He chuckled at the feel of her teeth, “You trying to give me another one?”

She grinned and blushed before pressing a softer kiss to the area. “Sorry.” She then laid her head against his chest, so he couldn’t see her face. She waited for him to answer her question, her fingers moving to trace the sparse hairs on his chest instead.

He sighed, allowing his hand to roam up and down her spine. “It’s actually not that great of a story. Kind of embarrassing, really.”

“Try me.”

He sighed, “I cut myself shaving when I was sixteen.”

Annie gasped and pushed herself up so she could see his face. “No way!”

“Um…yes?” It clearly wasn’t the reaction he was expecting.

“I have a scar from shaving too!”

She watched the grin take over his face and he couldn’t help but laugh at her obvious excitement over this strange thing they had in common.

“It’s right here on my knee!” Still on top of him, she brought her leg up so she could show him the tragic scar she was for some reason excited to tell him about.

Still laughing, Jeff nodded, rubbing his thumb over the spot she was pointing to. “Wow, there it is.”

Still smiling herself, she once again stretched out so she could lay against him. She placed her head back on his chest. “My mother was furious at me.” His hands returned to her back, slowly palming over her soft skin.

“Because you cut yourself?” He sounded confused, like couldn’t imagine a mother yelling at her child over a simple accident. He was right to feel that way.

“It was more because I didn’t tell her I started shaving.” She was thoughtful for a moment. “And because I got some blood on the bath mat. There was a lot of it.” She knew she wasn’t imagining the way his grip felt a little more secure after she shared that particular fact.

“I didn’t tell my mom either,” he said. “She actually thought it was pretty funny. And I guess it was in hindsight, but that’s what happens when your dad isn’t around to teach you how to be a man.”

Annie took in his words and turned her head so she could press a kiss to the center of his chest. It was a small gesture, but she felt as though it was necessary after such a vulnerable moment.

He remained still for a few minutes, so she was surprised when he flipped them so his body was covering hers. He kissed her cheek before murmuring, “I believe we have a few more hours before you have to go home to your roommates.” He began kissing her neck, his stubble sparking against her skin.

She wanted to say something, his words about his father hung heavy in the air. It wasn’t the first time he ever brought him up. Jeff had revealed snippets from his past a few times in his time of knowing the group. Never saying too much, but enough to reveal how much of an impact his father’s absence weighed on him. Enough to always make Annie’s heart lurch in sympathy, enough to make her want to comfort him in ways that he would no doubt refuse.

Her hand gently scratched at the nape of his neck, taking a moment to collect her words. She never wanted to push him. Everyone always pushed him to open up, to talk about the things that shut him down. But she knew it would only push him away. So she spoke carefully, comfortingly.

“You know, we can talk about it if—"

He pulled away from her neck to look at her. “Annie,” he said. He wasn’t angry, his eyes almost seemed amused, but his voice was firm. His decision made. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Okay,” she said, smiling sheepishly. He didn’t want to and she was okay with that. It didn’t feel tense, but she wanted him to know she wasn’t angry at him for not opening up. Most people often were. Instead she whispered, “I think you should kiss me right now.”

He broke out into a soft grin and leaned in to do just that. When he pulled away, she smiled up at him and let him have his way with her.

 

 


	4. Tender

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another night, this time with dinner.

 

Her entire day was thrown off when she slept through her alarm. So much so that she was even late meeting Jeff at the bar that night. She hadn’t even had time to grab a bite to eat beforehand, which was why she skipped having a drink altogether. Nothing good ever came out of drinking on an empty stomach.

They were both eager to get to the good part of the evening, so it was a quick decision to head to Jeff’s apartment after only a half hour of catching up. As soon as they walked through his door, however, their mouths were connected and he walked her back towards his couch. He discarded his jacket as they moved, her hands roamed his shoulders, his body radiated heat and she just wanted him inside her. She fell back easily and pulled him towards her by the collar of his shirt. He loomed over her and she let out a breathy laugh as she laid flat against the cushions.

He continued his seduction by kissing her neck, down along the collar of her blouse. His hands began to inch under the fabric and up her body to expose her taught skin, giving him room to press more kisses. His stubble tickled, and she knew it would leave red little patches, but she didn’t mind. However, everything was going smoothly until her empty stomach got the best of her, and a loud rumble broke through his silent apartment. She would have been mortified if it wasn’t for the fact that Jeff immediately grinned into her skin and snorted.

“Oh my god…this is so embarrassing!” Her hands immediately covered her face. “I was running late so I didn’t have time to eat and I—”

“Annie,” he laughed. “It’s okay. I can make you something.”

“What! Jeff, no, you don’t have to make me dinner,” she looked at him incredulously.

He sat back on his heels to get a better look at her. “It’s not a big deal. I know how to cook, you know.”

She smiled, looking up at him, “I know, but…”

“Look, I’ll make something for the both of us. I haven’t eaten either.”

She sighed, still smiling, and reached up to grab hold of his face. “Thank you,” she said before giving him a kiss.

“You can thank me later,” he winked and then pecked her lips once more.

And that was how Annie found herself sitting on the counter of Jeff Winger’s kitchen while he made them boxed pasta for dinner. Of course, she teased him about the amount of carbs he would be consuming, and the fact that he had a box of pasta in his apartment in the first place. He didn’t even try to hide his smile as he poured some penne into the boiling water. She could tell that he loved when she teased him. He quietly disclosed the fact that it was in fact wheat pasta which made Annie laugh harder than she already was.

The meal was delicious, and they ate in the kitchen. She remained seated on his counter and he stood, leaning in the space next to her. It was a simple and quick meal, and he only used tomato sauce from the jar, but he explained that he always added a dash of red wine for flavor. She absolutely loved that fact about him, and she had an inkling that he was quite the chef in his own time. She secretly hoped he would cook for her again sometime.

Other than being impressed with the food, she thought he looked positively adorable in his crisp white button down. His tie was long gone and his shirt was untucked, and he looked so…comfortable. Domestic. But she wasn’t going to let herself go there. She couldn’t.

So she didn’t, and she pushed all of those thoughts out of her mind and decided to enjoy this time with her friend. She couldn’t mess up what they had whatever it was. She finally had him back in her life.

Deciding to get the evening back on track, she set aside her empty plate and pulled him closer with her ankles. He moved easily and when he was in reach, she slipped her fingers through his belt loops and tugged him against her. His hands slid over her thighs, finding purchase against her hips.

“That was,” she said with her lips brushing his. “Delicious.” She then pressed a soft yet firm kiss to his lips.

He hummed against her mouth, pulling away only to give her another peck. “Remind me to cook for you more often,” his hands then trailed up her sides, his thumbs gently teasing the underside of her covered breasts. When he kissed her again, his tongue slid against hers and he stole her breath. “I like when you taste like wine,” he said breathlessly, sliding her off the counter so he could carry her towards his bedroom.

She shrieked and giggled, her arms wrapping around his neck as he carried her away.

He tossed her on the bed, grinning all the while. Before joining her, he stripped out of his pants and began unbuttoning his shirt the rest of the way. Wanting him inside her as soon as possible, she started on her own clothes until she was down to her matching set of a teal bra and panties. It was a new purchase, an expensive splurge on some lacy and sheer lingerie. Sometimes she would treat herself with nice things even though she rarely got to wear them.

But now she had a reason.

Jeff finally crawled over her, mirroring their positions from earlier on his couch. This time, he trailed his hand from her hip to her waist, just before he cupped her breast. “Mmm…” he smirked. “This is nice,” his thumb ran over the material appreciatively.

Annie blushed, satisfied he took notice. “Thank you,” she said. “It’s new.”

“It’s pretty,” he kissed the top of her breast. “Like you,” he kissed the same spot again. “You are very pretty,” he continued to give attention to her breasts.

She beamed, running her hand through his hair, watching him. “You’re not so bad yourself.”

She was surprised when he didn’t agree, passing up the opportunity to be vain. But she didn’t mind because, he then moved up her body to kiss her lips again, right before he flipped them so she was on top. He was going to let her take the lead that night. He wasn’t lying when he said she could thank him later. She grinned down at him, moving her hands behind her back to unclasp her bra. “Leave it on,” he whispered.

Still smiling, she moved her hands to his shoulders and slid them down his arms until their hands were tangled together. She thrusted down against him once, loving the way his eyes closed at the feeling. “We’re going to do this nice and slow.”

“Sweet, sweet torture,” he grinned.

She leaned down to kiss him again, before they each removed their underwear. When she took him inside, they both groaned, and she did as she said and moved over him nice and slow. His eyes moved from her face to her breasts, which were close to spilling out of her bra. She could feel his fingers gripping her hips tightly, and it just made her take him in harder. “Like the view?”

“Jesus, Annie,” he breathed. He met her thrust this time, causing her to throw back her head and let out a breathy gasp.

When she opened her eyes again, his gaze was intense, like he was drinking in everything about her. It drove her crazy and she found herself moving faster, her thrusts becoming shallower. She began to pant with strain but she didn’t care, she needed a release.

“What happened to nice and slow?” He said through his clenched teeth.

“Ungh…Jeff…!”

\---

Later when they were both satiated and wrung out, they laid in his bed to recuperate. They were facing each other on the bed and spent a good amount of time just watching one another across his luxurious sheets. It almost felt like they were crossing a line. They’d done this before, just relaxed in bed together after engaging in their favorite activity, but usually there was kissing and touching and something that reminded them why they were there in the first place. But this time, they only watched each other, and his tender gaze was unmistakable.

She couldn’t look away.

“You’re a really good cook, you know,” she said, feeling the need to fill the silence.

He shrugged against his sheets, “I watched my mom cook a lot growing up. She liked to try out new recipes and then make me taste them.”

Annie giggled. “That’s cute.”

“They weren’t half bad.”

“Maybe you can cook for me again sometime. Or better yet, the whole study group,” she poked his chest. “Give Shirley a break once in a while.” She was teasing, but she hoped it was something he considered. It would be nice for him to do something like that for everyone. To let them take a deeper look into his life. Although, if she was honest with herself, she liked the fact that she was the only one with this rare glimpse inside.

He chuckled, scooting closer to her from across the bed. “I don’t know about that.” His lips hovered over hers. “I think it’s best if I stick to impressing just you.” When he kissed her, she couldn’t help but smile against his lips, her heart fluttering at his words.

“Mmm.” She pulled away from his mouth, “I’m a lucky lady then.”

He kissed her again, pulling her body flush against his. She sighed into his mouth and let herself get lost in him for the hundredth time that night. But it was getting late and she needed to go home. She knew if she came in past midnight that her roommates would get suspicious.

She gently pushed at his bare shoulder, reluctantly pulling away from his mouth. His lips were pink and so delectable. Ugh, she wanted to eat him. “I have to go,” she breathed against his mouth.

“Five more minutes,” he said leaning towards her lips again.

She giggled and leaned away, keeping her hand against his shoulder. “It’s late, I can’t.”

He sighed and fell back against his pillow, arms splayed out in defeat.

She wanted to laugh at his pouty expression, but she knew it would just give him other ideas. Before she could change her mind, she got up to get dressed. He watched her flit around the room, picking up her discarded clothing and underwear. She blushed as he watched her redress, but she didn’t mind his gaze. She kind of liked it.

Before she said her final goodbye, she went to his bed side and leaned in give him one last kiss. She caressed his face and the kiss was soft and gentle, and probably far too tender to be considered friendly. He was smiling when she pulled away so she didn’t think he was too concerned about it either.

“Goodnight,” she whispered, still watching him.

She was still in reach of him so he took hold of her wrist. “Text me when you get home.”

She nodded, parting with his bedroom until she’d visit again the following week.

 

 


	5. Tense

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Annie helps Jeff de-stress.

 

Jeff had a meeting that ran late the night before, and much to Annie’s disappointment, they weren’t able to meet up for their usual Friday night drinks (and other activities). But much to her delight, they rescheduled to Saturday afternoon instead, which meant it was the first time she was going to his place during the day. She was a little nervous because she wasn’t sure what to expect. Normally they would fool around in his bed for a few hours and then she would go home.

But today they would have the whole day ahead of them and if she was being honest, she wasn’t sure what Jeff expected _from her_. Fool around and then leave? Stay and hang out? She had no clue. But she really wanted to see him regardless, so she tamped down her nerves and drove to his apartment at two o’clock in the afternoon. It was strange seeing his apartment in the day time, she’d only ever been late in the evenings when his neighbors were quiet and turning in for the night. Now, she saw residents leaving the building hand in hand with their children, a woman bringing groceries from her car, a man returning from a jog. She was curious to see how Jeff fit in with all of them. She wondered if he was friendly with his neighbors, or if he kept himself hidden in his apartment most days. Did he ever wave at the little kids who played soccer in the small grassy area next to the parking lot? Did he help carry heavy grocery bags for the older woman who lived on his floor? There was still so much to learn about him, even after four and a half years.

After she was let inside by a couple leaving the building, she arrived at his door promptly at the agreed upon time. She knocked lightly and heard shuffling on the other side, along with his muffled voice talking to someone over the phone. When he finally reached the door, he was wearing jeans and a t-shirt, and his hair looked mussed from his hands. He looked tense, clearly not enjoying the conversation he was having, but when he looked at her, he smiled softly and seemed to relax.

Her heart skipped a beat when he leaned in to give her a kiss on the cheek before ushering her inside. He gave her a look and gestured to his phone before walking towards the couch. She nodded in understanding and kicked off her shoes, sending him a reassuring smile.

“But I don’t understand what that has to do with anything. I just need you to—No!” He yelled exasperatedly into the phone. “I don’t care that it doesn’t fit your vision! It’s what I want, not you!”

She had no idea who he was talking to, but she didn’t want to interfere, so she busied herself by getting a glass of water from his kitchen. She appreciated the fact that it was clean and tidy, spotless really. She wondered if he kept it that way or if he had a cleaning service. She wondered a lot of things about him lately.

After listening to him argue over the phone for another minute, she went to join him on the couch with a glass of water for herself and a glass for him. He looked at her and shook his head in disbelief before silently thanking her for the water.

“Abed, I don’t have time for this right now, we’ll talk about it later…” He then glanced at Annie before rolling his eyes. “No, Abed. I don’t know where she is. Just text her or something…Yup. Bye.” He let out the longest sigh and flopped back against the couch, his eyes closed. “Has anyone ever told you that your roommate is difficult to work with?”

She laughed, “Try living with him.” She scooted closer to him, “Last week, he was angry with me because I rearranged the medicine cabinet and moved his Inspector Spacetime gummy vitamins.”

Jeff laughed and rubbed his temples. “He asked me if I knew where you were, by the way.”

Annie’s eyes grew wide. “What? Why? Do you think he knows? I told them I was going to the mall for a few hours!”

“I’m sure it’s fine. You know how he is.”

His reassurance relaxed her slightly, even if she was still a little concerned, but she decided to move on rather than dwell on it. “What were you guys talking about?”

Jeff sighed, “I asked him to film a commercial for my firm. I want to try and get my name out there since business has been pretty slow lately.”

“Oh, Jeff. I’m sorry,” she reached over and began rubbing his shoulder.

“It’s okay, it happens,” he shrugged.

She nodded comfortingly. She began to use both hands to knead his shoulders and upper back. “You’re so tense right now.”

He groaned at the feeling. “It’s been a long week,” he breathed. He then shifted so she could have more access to his back, rolling his neck so she could get at a particularly tight knot. “You’re really good at this.”

Annie smiled, pressing up on her knees so she could really get into it. She could feel the heat radiating off him through the soft cotton of his t-shirt, which made it easy to press up against him to work her hands over his stiff muscles. It was quiet in his apartment, the only sound coming from the cars outside. She wanted him, but she also wanted him to feel better. She’d seen him stressed a number of times, but this time, it seemed to be on a much larger scale.

Without speaking, she massaged the skin at the base of his neck before making the decision to press a lingering kiss. “You’re _really_ good at this,” he said at the feel of her lips against his skin. She could hear the smile in his voice when he spoke, and she knew she was on the right track for making him feel better. For a little while, she continued to press kisses over his neck and shoulders, even nibbling at his ear once or twice. His answering soft groans were enough to keep her going, and it wasn’t long before she trailed her hands over his shoulders to smooth over the firm muscles of his chest.

After a few moments of caressing his torso over his tee and her chin resting on his shoulder, he reached to squeeze her hand, raising it to press a kiss to her palm. He then gently tugged at her arm, urging her to crawl into his lap. She fell easily against him, moving quickly to straddle him. Her arms wound around his neck and they looked at one another before gently capturing each other’s lips. They kissed slowly, their tongues sliding easily over one another. His hands stayed at her hips, and they made out, just letting the minutes pass.

She pulled from his lips only to trail hers over his jaw, his stubble sparking against her skin. She eventually trailed the lower, swirling her tongue over his pulse for a moment before kissing her way down his neck. He smelled faintly of his cologne mixed with fresh laundry. He was irresistible, really. His grip on her hips tightened, and his thumbs pressed more firmly against the crease meeting at her thigh. He let out shallow breaths the further she moved, and it wasn’t long before she began sliding off his lap towards the floor. She kept her eyes on him entire time.

His hands moved easily off her, and she could have almost laughed at the look of disbelief on his face when her hands moved to his belt. She saw him gulp as he watched her hands unbuckle the belt, and it took him a moment to register the fact that she was tugging the leather. He quickly realized and helped her slide it off before she placed it behind her on the coffee table. He swallowed again, his breath picking up as she moved her hands to his button and fly. She smiled demurely at him as she began to tug at the waist of his jeans and boxers. He helped her slide them down slightly, just enough to give her access.

Now she grinned up at him, feeling excited at the prospect of doing this for him. He let out a low laugh, still disbelieving, but the smile left his face as his right hand cradled the side of her face, his fingers combing gently through her hair. The way he was looking at her was so soft that she almost wanted to cry. She then turned her head and kissed his palm and then his wrist, before leaning over him. When she finally lowered her mouth onto him, he let out a shuttering breath and his fingers pressed more firmly against her head. His left hand remained on his leg, gripping the bunched denim around his knee.

Her hands smoothed up his thighs soothingly as her tongue swirled around him, sucking lightly. He groaned at the feeling, breathing in sharply as she continued her slow torture with her mouth. Once she added her hands to the mix, his head fell back against the top of the couch. “Fuck…” he whispered. She smiled around him, loving the affect she was having over him. He felt warm and hard in her hands, and she slowly worked him to greater heights. She slipped him out of her mouth for a moment, to get more use with her hands, and he finally looked down at her again, this time giving her a smile with hooded eyes. He used his hand to push hair out of her face and smoothed it comfortingly over her scalp.

She melted at the gesture, smiling up at him before taking him back in her mouth. Jeff let out a heavy breath, unable to help the slight movement of his hips. He was close, so she began to move her mouth and hands at a faster pace. He squeezed his eyes tight and let out a loud groan in his quiet apartment as he spilled into her mouth. She worked him down from it, and when he opened his eyes to look at her again, he ran his fingers through her hair one more time before once again cradling her face. His touch was soft and warm, and it seemed as if all the tension finally left his shoulders.

They held each other’s gaze for a moment before he quickly tucked himself back in before gripping her arms to pull her into his lap. She blushed as she climbed to straddle him again, and his hands pulled her face towards his. This time when they kissed, it wasn’t soft or gentle. It was urgent and demanding, and he held her tightly against him. Annie pulled away to catch her breath and he nosed along her jaw, his breath panting softly against her neck. She made herself more comfortable, pressing down against him which gave her some relief. Seeing him in such a state worked her up big time and she wanted to feel him everywhere.

His mouth moved to her neck where he gently sucked, before nosing along the strap of her bra, visible from where her sweater fell off her shoulder. She rocked against him once, hard, and he moved his hands to unbutton her jeans. He began to tug them down but their current position made it difficult, so she hopped out of his lap to take them the rest of the way off before climbing back onto him, pressing their warm bodies together again. She let out a soft gasp at the feel of his stiff jeans against her underwear, and she found herself grinding their hips together to get some relief.

She needed to kiss him again, so she wound her arms around his neck to get better leverage. He nibbled at her bottom lip, worrying it between his teeth, as his hands slid from her back to her thighs. They were warm against her skin and she loved the feeling of them heating her to the core. She pushed her self against him again as their tongues slid together, and his hands moved along the length of her legs and back up, this time moving past her thighs and over to her hips. When she felt his fingers inch over the lace of her underwear, she pushed against him harder, encouraging his movement. When his fingers finally slipped beneath the fabric, she pulled away from his mouth and pressed her forehead against his, waiting for him to go lower.

She inhaled a breath when she felt him slide two fingers against her, teasing the place she desperately wanted him. She felt warm and flushed but she couldn’t possibly care because what he was doing to her was exactly what she wanted, what she needed. He turned his head to gently kiss her cheek before pushing his fingers deep inside her. She gasped at the feeling, overwhelmed by the relief and feel of his lips lingering on her jaw.

It felt like an eternity before he moved them again, slowly working her up. At the slow rhythm he created inside her, she began to moan in time with his fingers. She was embarrassed at the sounds, but she couldn’t help it, he just felt so good in her and he was only using his hands. She bit down on her lip to prevent more sounds from escaping and Jeff noticed. Without faltering his rhythm, he said in a low voice, “Don’t stop…”

She couldn’t have possibly been more turned on, and it made her need for release even greater. He began to kiss her neck and she whimpered, her hands scratching through his hair. She began moving her hips in time with his fingers. “Jeff…” She was so close.

Somehow, he managed to plunge deeper, eliciting a deep and desperate sound from her. In the next moment, his other hand began rubbing at her, making the sensation much more intense. Within a minute, she was clenching around his fingers and letting go, her orgasm ripping through her. The feeling was different than all the other times. Just as good but somehow slower and drawn out and relaxed. Her forehead dropped to his shoulder and she panted against his neck while he dropped kisses to her shoulder.

Once her breathing evened out, she picked up her head and looked at him with an open expression, a shy smile overtaking her face. She knew her cheeks were pink, but it wasn’t like they’d never had sex before. This time just felt different. He smiled back, and she didn’t know what else to do other than press a kiss to his cheek before climbing off him and falling to his side. She felt cold out of his arms, but she didn’t think it would be appropriate to sit in his lap the entire afternoon.

Jeff cleared his throat and sat up straighter, running his palms over his jeans. “Wanna watch TV?” He grabbed the remote from the coffee table and turned it on. Annie nodded, and sat up herself, reaching over for a sip of water, waiting for him to pick something. “Any ideas?” She shook her head and settled against his side, pulling her sweater down to cover more of her thighs.

Eventually he settled on a rerun of some baking competition and he sort of shrugged and smirked when she glanced up at him. He then wrapped his arm around her and gathered her against his side so her head could rest easily on his chest. They sat and watched in silence. She loved the feeling of relaxing against him. He was comfortably warm and he smelled so good.

Her heart just about leaped in her chest when he unexpectedly entwined their fingers and held her hand for the remainder of the episode.

 

 


	6. Content

 

The following week she texted him that she was sick. Well, she wasn’t traditionally sick, but she was on her period and her cramps were ripping her a new one that day. She didn’t want to cancel on him, but work was excruciating and all she wanted to do was go home, put on comfy pants, eat some noodles, and sleep through the night with her heated blanket.

_Sorry :(_

_It’s ok. Feel better, Bambi_

He called her that because she sent him a selfie of her wide, sad eyes along with the text message she was reluctant to send. The name made her smile.

At four in the afternoon, he texted her again, asking how she was feeling. She melted when the messaged was soon followed by a flower emoticon.

_Okay. Leaving work now. Going home to relax :)_

_Wanna come over and relax w me?_

_I don’t think I’d be much fun tonight…_

_We don’t have to do anything_

_I don’t know…_

_Can I bribe you with chicken + fettuccine and my box set of the x-files?_

_Throw in a back rub and you’ve got a deal ;)_

_Done._

Then he sent a unicorn.

\---

When she arrived back at her apartment after work, she planned on quickly changing into something more comfortable before going to Jeff’s. She was hoping that Troy and Abed weren’t home because she didn’t feel like coming up with another excuse for where she was going. She knew her Friday night absences were adding up, and her excuses were probably getting harder to believe, but she wanted to avoid telling them the truth for as long as she could. She hadn’t discussed it with Jeff yet, so there was no way she could admit to her roommates that she spends every week tangled up in his bed sheets.

But as she expected, her roommates were in fact home and watching TV when she arrived. She gave them a quick hello before going to her room. Maybe the less she said the better. Within a half hour, she was already set to go out the door wearing leggings and an over-sized sweater.

“Going out?” Abed asked, popping a chip into his mouth. Troy looked over at her curiously.

“Uh, yeah. My work friend is having a movie night at her place.” Plausible…

“Work friend?”

“Mhm! Charlotte, you remember Charlotte, right? You guys met her last month when we met for lunch!” Annie was a little more confident with this one because they _did_ meet her. At least that part wasn’t a lie.

“Oh yeah,” Troy said. “She’s cute,” he added offhandedly.

“Yup! Well, I’ll see you guys later. Enjoy your night!” She called as she was heading out the door. She hated lying to them, she really did. But in that moment, she just wanted to get out of there as fast as she could. What she didn’t notice, however, was the curious glance Troy and Abed shared as she left the apartment.

\---

“How are you feeling?” Jeff smiled down at her with his arm wrapped around her shoulders. She was perfectly snug against his side, her head resting on his chest.

“I’m good,” she smiled up at him. “The fettuccine hit the spot. And the back rub helped too.” He let out a breathy laugh, seeming perfectly smug. She thought back to his hands…warm, large, and kneading the tight muscles of her lower back. She sighed happily.

“I guess it was a good idea you came here after all.”

“Mm. Guess so.” She tilted her head towards him, waiting for him to meet her in the middle for a kiss. It was tender and brief, but somehow felt just as satisfying as their brief make out in his kitchen while they waited for the chicken to finish cooking.

When they pulled apart, they focused their attention back to the TV where they watched Mulder and Scully face yet another paranormal experience. She smiled happily to herself, thinking about the fact that Jeff watched the show regularly, and had been a fan since the show aired. She noticed his box set tucked away on his TV shelf before, but she never mentioned it. It was right next to his Star Wars DVDs. She was slowly coming to realize that Jeff was a nerd in his own right, a very subtle nerd.

“I think their relationship is beautiful,” she said watching the TV screen.

“Mulder and Scully’s?”

“Yeah.”

“Aww, Annie. Do you ship them?”

She scoffed. “Oh, like you don’t, _Abed_.”

He was quiet for a moment, thinking. “Kind of a slow burn, if you ask me.”

“But I think that’s what’s so beautiful about it! Sure, we spend every episode hoping that they’ll just finally kiss already, but…there’s something romantic about the fact that they’re drawn to one another even without all the sex.”

She could have sworn she felt his fingers press more firmly against her arm. “I guess…but they do eventually give into the attraction.”

“Right, but their connection is much deeper than that because they learned to love each other outside the realm of physicality.” After a brief moment of silence, she added, “She’s his person.”

“His person?”

“Yeah. His soulmate. His rock. He constantly puts them in the most absurd and dangerous situations, yet she risks her job and her life just to help prove that he’s not crazy. She’s his person. And he’s hers.”

His silence didn’t bother her, she was actually pleased that he didn’t argue the point or tease her for being a hopeless romantic. He just continued to hold her against him and watched the scene play out on the TV. However, ten minutes later, after her mind strayed from their conversation, she felt his lips press against her hairline. She wound her arm around him more firmly.

\---

She didn’t remember the moment she began drifting, but when she opened her eyes the title menu illuminated his living room in the darkness. She looked up at him and saw that his head was tilted to the side. He was fast asleep. She blinked at the digital clock on his cable box and saw that it was after 2 AM. She had to go home.

She carefully pulled away from him, which stirred him awake. He inhaled deeply and blinked at her sleepily. It was adorable. She laughed softly and smoothed back his hair. “We fell asleep.”

“Time is it?”

“After two…I have to go.”

“No,” he shook his head. She couldn’t tell if he was still half asleep.

“I have to.”

“Late. Stay over?”

“You want me to stay the night?” She was taken aback by the request.

He breathed out a sigh and stood from the couch. He took both of her hands and slowly pulled her to her feet until she was directly in front of him. He smiled softly at her worried expression and began pulling her towards his room.

Inside the bedroom, he pulled out a t-shirt and pajama pants from his drawer and handed them to her. He led her to the bathroom where he gave her a spare toothbrush and access to his toiletries. A small voice in her head recalled the time Britta once said he kept his things locked up in a safe, away from any and all visitors. But here he was letting her use anything she needed. She beamed.

“What?” He laughed.

She shook her head and kissed his cheek, “Nothing.”

She knew this meant something, the entire night had, but she was too tired to dive into the various scenarios and possibilities of what it all could mean. So after she freshened up, brushed her teeth and washed her face using (a respectable amount of) his almond facial scrub, she met him back in his room where he had just finished pulling on a new t-shirt. He chucked when he saw her, because yeah, the shirt fell to her knees and the pajama pants were nearly falling off. She blushed when he gently pulled her closer by the drawstring so he could tie the pants securely around her waist. His room was dim and their close proximity made her forget just how sleepy she was. But then he reached around her to turn down his comforter and she was brought back to the present moment.

When they curled up in bed, she was already half way to sleep. But she was conscious enough to feel the way he easily curled around her, wrapping his arms to keep her back securely pressed against his chest. It was the most comfortable she’d felt all day. Everything smelled of Jeff, and it was enough to send her into a solid sleep for the rest of the night. However, she did recall hearing his whispered “goodnight,” beside her ear before she finally drifted.

She woke up feeling warm and refreshed, and momentarily confused as to why she wasn’t in her own bed, in the apartment that she shared with Troy and Abed. But then she felt the firm arm settled around her and remembered that she was still wrapped up in all things Jeff. She shifted in her sleep, and rather than facing the opposite wall, she was now tucked in beneath his chin. He seemed to still be asleep, and every time he let out a breath, she felt it gently tease the wisps of hair at her temple.

She marveled in the fact that she spent the night with Jeff Winger, and they didn’t even have sex. She used to imagine this night (and morning), even before they started _seeing_ each other. She would be lying if she said she didn’t have these fantasies back when they were still in a study group, when their daily routines consisted of locating disappearing pens and defending helpless yams. She always imagined the night being filled with romance and passion. Sensual candles, lingerie, and maybe a few roses left about the room. Sometimes she imagined it to be filled with harsh breaths and seductive words. And sometimes she imagined days in the future, when they’d be wearing wedding bands and maybe have a house and two kids.

But don’t judge her. She couldn’t help the way her mind wandered.

But now that it actually happened, she wasn’t all that surprised. Sure, they’d been having sex every week for the past month and a half, but she knew it was always something more than that. The same thing that she recognized was present in the years before. They were friends first. She wasn’t sure how many friends actually slept in each other’s arms all night, but she wasn’t going to fret over it. Because it may have been one of the best sleeps she’d ever had.

Sometime during the night, her cramps had gone away and she was feeling measurably better. And now that daylight was streaming in through the window, she was fully awake but she wasn’t quite ready to leave him arms. She stayed there and waited until she heard him breathe deeply and stretch his legs that were tangled with hers. He pulled back slightly so he could look at her, and he wore the sleepiest expression on his face. She giggled, and he let out a gentle laugh himself before rubbing his eyes with his left hand.

“Morning,” he rasped before settling his arm back around her.

“Good morning.”

“How’d you sleep?”

“Mm. Really good,” her arms tightened around him.

He laughed again and nuzzled his face against her hair as he gently rolled on top of her. He breathed her in and stayed there. He made no moves to kiss her, but she didn’t mind. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held him close.

“Want some breakfast?” He mumbled against her neck.

“Okay,” she whispered. “But can we stay here for a little while longer?”

He finally pulled back to look at her again, and his smile was soft and his eyes were still sleepy. He nodded and pressed a kiss to her cheek.

 

 


	7. Vulnerable

 

They were relaxing on his bed, having time to recuperate from the sex they just had. They were in a particularly giddy mood at the bar and they were just itching to get their hands on each other. It didn’t always happen like this, but sometimes they went at it earlier in the evening and they had time to just lay together and hang out before engaging in more activities.

On this evening, however, it was the only night of the weekend they could “spend together” until the following week because Annie was going away to a work conference outside of Colorado and she was leaving the next morning. She had gotten used to spending Friday night with him because neither of them ever had any Saturday morning plans. It wasn’t often, but often enough that she had to think of different excuses to tell Troy and Abed when she didn’t come home on those nights. She had a feeling they were getting suspicious.

Most of the time she told them she crashed with Charlotte, explaining that she lived close to the bar they attended every week. Sometimes she didn’t tell them at all because she was allowed to have her privacy, and for all they knew, she had a date…with someone outside of their tightknit group of friends. But right now, she didn’t want to worry about it because she was warm, comfortable, and enjoying the company of a man that she had genuine feelings for. And for the first time ever, she was positive that he had them too.

Annie found herself missing Jeff lately. Seeing him only once a week felt like not enough anymore, so the time she spent with him became all too important. It was why she felt justified in spending the night whenever she could. Plus, he genuinely seemed like he wanted her there. She wasn’t going to give that up.

On this particular night, she was under the covers and curled into his side. He was so warm, she couldn’t help but stay near him. He was scrolling through Facebook on his phone as she watched on. She thought it was cute the way he would roll his eyes over countless brain-numbing content, and the fact that sometimes he would let out a soft little laugh when he’d see a meme he thought was particularly funny.

“Wait, go back,” Annie said, referring to a video for strawberry cheesecake bites that Shirley shared.

“What, this?” He scrolled back, hiding his smirk. Without her asking, he enlarged the video for her and she hummed contently, snuggling closer to his arm. “Plan on becoming a baker in your free time?”

“No,” she nudged him. “But I enjoy these types of videos. They’re relaxing.” Much to her delight, he stayed quiet for the remainder of the video and didn’t continue teasing her.

When it was over, he went back to scrolling though, and she noticed a post from the Dean about an upcoming dance at Greendale. It was weird. The fact that they all moved on from that chapter of their lives. She admitted to herself countless times that she missed it all. The dances, the dean, the sheer craziness of that campus. She would always be grateful for the place that was her home for four years of her life. Her heart was there, inside that study room. Along with the people she now called her family. She owed so much to that place. It was a hard pill to swallow sometimes.

But that didn’t mean there weren’t any bad times. They were a family, but it didn’t mean they didn’t fight or go through rough patches. And sometimes the place was too crazy, even for the seven of them, and it drove them all a little mad.

Especially during that fourth year.

And it was a place where she fell in and out of love more times than she could count. Sometimes with different people. Most often with the same one. But more importantly, it was a place of growth. Sometimes you have to grow into your own person before you grow with someone else. And now she figured she could finally attest to that theory. It had her thinking lately, especially after she started this…thing with Jeff.

She felt like they’d been more open recently and she felt as though they were at a place where they could talk about this type of thing. Especially because she realized that her feelings had been developing into something more than either of them had yet to admit.

She wasn’t sure what possessed her to venture into this conversation in the moment, but there was no harm in getting it over with now.

“Can you be honest with me for a minute?”

“Yeah, of course.” He looked at her before tossing his phone on the nightstand.

“I don’t mean to bring up the past, especially because it’s kind of messy, but…The Transfer Dance…We’ve never really talked about that night. But I want to know. What were you thinking? When I kissed you?”

He swallowed, pursing his lips, clearly not expecting her to ask such a loaded question. He took time to think about it, which she appreciated, and she distracted herself by trailing her fingers along his arm. “Well…I remember feeling completely lost. And confused. And scared. About Britta and Slater. I never had two women confess their love to me before,” he laughed almost sadly. She studied his face and his smile was gone, and it looked like he was really considering what he was about to say next. “But then,” he looked over at her. He was looking at her so thoughtfully. “I ran into you, and I felt…relieved. That you stayed. That you didn’t run off into the night with that hippie,” he teased, nudging her arm. “But then you were leaning in and, I just…” He shrugged. “I realized how much I wanted you to kiss me.”

She blushed, looking down at a collection of freckles on his skin. She remained quiet, processing the information, until…

“Fuck. That was a good kiss.”

Annie snorted against his shoulder and he grinned at her.

“Now can I ask you something?”

She nodded, already anticipating his question.

“Why did you kiss me?”

She sighed thoughtfully. “The truth is…I wanted to kiss you all year. Since I kissed you to win the debate. But you liked Britta and then there was Slater and Vaughn…So I didn’t think I’d ever get my chance again. Which shouldn’t have mattered because you never saw me in that way, anyway.” She looked at him, searching his eyes. “But then… I saw you outside. And in the moment, I realized that I wanted to kiss you more than I wanted to leave with Vaughn.”

She never admitted that to anyone before. She didn’t think anyone would ever understand the complex feelings she had for Jeff Winger over the years. It was never a competition with Britta, it was never because he was the ‘cool older guy.’ What she felt for him went beyond attraction. It was far beneath the surface, in the place neither of them revealed to most people.

He remained quiet for a while he was absorbing the information. She was surprised when he said, “I’m sorry I said it was a mistake. The kiss. That was really shitty.”

Although she couldn’t completely disagree, especially after he ignored her for the entire summer, deep down she knew it that was the wrong time to make out with him that night. But even so, it felt so, so, so right.

She only nodded, unsure of what to say.

“I know I kind of freaked out afterwards, but I don’t regret it. I’m glad you kissed me,” he looked over at her, waiting for her to react.

She was taken aback and looked at him curiously. “You are?”

He nodded, gazing at her. “It was the first time I realized that there was someone in my life who didn’t expect me to change. I could be myself and still try to be better. And at the time, it scared the hell out of me. I never had that before.” She blushed, breaking eye contact with him. It wasn’t until he pinched her chin so she would look at him again that he continued. “Just so you know, you’re still that person for me. Thank you.”

Her eyes felt hot and her heart rippled through her chest, making her feel so many things. She didn’t think she’d ever seen him so vulnerable and honest before, but the fact that it was his choice, that he was letting her see this part of him…it was all a little overwhelming.

She didn’t plan to fall for him. Not this time. This was supposed to just be fun and she told herself that if anything happened, then it would happen naturally. But something definitely shifted. She knew it had a while ago, even during that first time. There was a vulnerability and tenderness that consumed them and didn’t let go. It was present during every time after that. But tonight, it was something else. Something that opened her heart just enough to keep him there forever.

She assumed there would always be a part of her that was in love with Jeff Winger, even if it wasn’t reciprocated in the way she always wanted. She told herself that she would love him in any way that he would let her. But now for the first time, she realized that he may have finally let himself love her in the way she always hoped he would.

But she wasn’t going to say it first.

She didn’t speak, afraid of how unsteady her voice would sound. So instead, she let him kiss her, so deeply that he took her breath away. He kissed her as deeply as he had three and a half years ago, and she let herself just feel. His lips, his warmth. Everything. He leaned over her until he was crowding her into the mattress and proceeded to meld their bodies together for the second time that night.

“For the record,” he said in a low raspy voice. “I did see you in that way.”

Her heart pounded.

They were already naked and under the covers, so he took his time kissing her, pulling away only to catch his breath. It was warm against her lips, and his eyes remained closed, recovering from the kisses they just shared. He didn’t look at her as he kissed along her cheek, to her ear, and then as he began nibbling his way down her neck. He was probably afraid of what she might see.

His mouth stopped at her breast, and he licked and sucked, enough to make her gasp in his quiet bedroom. His tongue swirled around her nipple and the feeling was so intense that she pulled at his hair. He continued to her other breast and she found herself panting at the ceiling. She needed him inside her. Her knees cradled his hips, squeezing every so often. The moment that his mouth made its way to her sternum, she was just about ready to beg. The feel of his teeth biting gently was so heightened that she felt in her toes.

“Jeff,” she whimpered. “Please. I—I can’t…” She could feel his erection hot against her thigh.

“Shhh,” he whispered against her skin. He wasn’t moving, not even his mouth.

“Jeff…”

He pressed one more kiss before holding himself over, finally looking at her again. He searched her eyes and she nodded, begging him to finally enter her. The feeling of relief was so intense that she let out a choked gasp, her nails digging into his arms. She almost didn’t register the harsh moan he let out beside her ear. She felt so full with him inside her, and it was a feeling she didn’t think she would ever get used to. He remained still, allowing her to adjust to him. She massaged the space between his shoulders and arched into him.

He thrust once slowly, pushing her deeper into the mattress. She gasped softly with each of his movements, unable to stay quiet. It was obviously doing something for him because his breath was heavy on the pillow beside her, but he soon turned to her, pressing his face against her cheek. He wore her earlobe between his teeth, thrusting deeper as her nails scratched over his nipples.

Their moans and heavy breaths filled the room, their rhythm picking up as they brought each other closer and closer to the edge. Just before Annie felt herself letting go, he picked up his head and watched her. She felt so unraveled by his gaze, it was almost too much. His hand came up to cradle her jaw and he traced his thumb over her lips, gently parting them. She came with a heavy gasp, her eyes clenching. The need to come was so fierce that it was a relief to finally let go. He moved slower as she came down from it, coming to a complete stop when he stole another kiss, easing his tongue in her mouth.

In that moment, she came to the conclusion that she wished she could have him inside her forever, but her legs were cramping and he still hadn’t finished. She pulled from his mouth and immediately went to his ear, whispering for him to come. With his face pressed against the crook of her neck, he pushed into her once, twice, and three times, before letting go inside her.

\--

They hadn’t really said much afterwards, both preferring to let the silence sit between them. To fill the evening with any other banter would lessen its meaning. She wondered how long they could go without outwardly discussing each other’s feelings. But it didn’t seem important in the moment.

She was content to just lay in his arms and remind herself of everything they did share that night. She wished she could stay, it felt wrong to leave.

“It’s getting late. I should go.” She said it from the comfort of his warm sheets and even warmer arms. It was getting close to midnight and she had to catch an eight o’clock flight in the morning.

He groaned in protest, pulling her closer just ever so slightly. It made her laugh. But then he sighed and sat up, rubbing his eyes. “Just give me a sec, I’ll walk you out.”

She redressed while he threw on a t-shirt and underwear, stretching before following her out of his bedroom. They paused to turn towards each other at his door. The look he gave her in the low light of his apartment was soft enough to send a pang of longing throughout each of her limbs. The feeling was too much, so she reached up on her toes to press a tender kiss to his lips. It felt warm and soft, and as she fell back on her heels, Jeff leaned in to catch her lips a second time. She pulled away and quickly wrapped her arms around his neck, keeping him close with a hug.

“I don’t want to go,” she whispered softly against his neck.

“Then stay,” he pleaded, his voice just as soft.

“I can’t…”

He held her for a bit longer and then sighed, pulling out of the embrace. “I know… just… text me when you get home, okay?”

“I will.” She smiled at him one more time before leaving through the door. “Goodnight,” she whispered.

 

 


	8. Anticipation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A shorter chapter, but hopefully the next one will make up for it :)

 

A few days after she got back from her trip, they abandoned all pretenses that they could wait until Friday evenings to see each other. After replaying that night over and over in her head and agonizing over his words and the soft looks, she acknowledged the fact that their relationship had changed. And it wasn’t one sided. It had become more honest and revealing, which was why she wasn’t surprised that he texted her on the Monday night she landed to make plans to meet up the next day. And that was what had been happening for the weeks that followed. They spent an increasing amount of time together, and a lot of that time wasn’t even spent having sex.

But sometimes there were days when they were both really horny, so as soon as they both got off work, they’d meet at his place without any excuse for hanging out other than the fact that they needed to blow off steam.

Like last week, when she had a particularly stressful day at the office and then got a flat tire on her way home, hours later, she found herself riding him on his couch until she couldn’t remember why she was so upset. Or a few days ago when he asked her to meet him during her lunch break so they could make out in the back of his car, explaining that he just needed to get out of his office for a little while.

Or there were nights like this one when they made plans to hang out for reasons other than to have sex, but then he smiled at her a certain way and it was all she needed to climb on top of him and wait for him to carry her to the bedroom.

“Mmm. Jeff,” she moaned. “Faster, please.”

He panted against her neck. “Fuck, Annie. I’m trying.”

“You feel so good…” Her back was pressed against his chest and her hands reached back to find the back of his neck. His hand reached down to rub against her, and she gasped at the new sensation he created.

He groaned and kissed the damp skin at her shoulder, “I missed you yesterday…”

She came with a shout, as soon as the words left his mouth. He worked her through it until she fell forward against his pillows, unable to hold herself up. He went with her and remained still while she caught her breath. Her legs felt like jelly. She was unraveled from both the sex and the sweet sentiment he just admitted.

He missed her.

She knew he wasn’t finished, so once she caught her bearings, she squeezed his knee and nudged back into him, encouraging him to keep going. “I missed you too,” she gasped, when he continued to move.

In this position, laying on their sides, they moved slower. His arms remained around her, his palm gently squeezing her breast while his other hand smoothed over her waist. Her hands covered his, encouraging his movements as they sparked pleasure through her. The position was really working for her because it wasn’t long before she began to feel the pressure build in her core for a second time. He panted beside her ear, holding her closer as they went over the edge together.

After they both came down from it all, they laid with their legs tangled together as they caught their breaths. Annie was the first to break the silence, feeling beside herself because that was…wow. She laughed disbelievingly into her hands, covering her face, still high off her orgasms.

He lifted himself on his elbow to look over at her face, which was still covered by her hands. He chuckled himself, watching her. “I hope that’s good laughter because my ego is very vulnerable at the moment.”

She giggled and looked up at him, grinning before giving him a kiss. He immediately deepened it, stealing her breath for the hundredth time that night. She turned in his arms so they were chest to chest and he growled, appreciating the new position.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” he said against her lips.

“Your ego doesn’t need to worry. Because that was amazing.” She melted as he gave her another kiss. “Hey, what’s with Jeff Winger’s ego? Why is it vulnerable right now?”

He sighed, not at all upset. “You seem to do that to me.”

She was taken aback by his words, and frankly, she didn’t know what to say. “I hope that’s not a bad thing,” she said softly.

He gently moved some hair away from her face and behind her ear. “No. It’s not.”

She smiled. “Good.”

“Good.” He kissed her.

“Mm. I’ll be back.” She pulled away from his lips. “I need to use the bathroom.” She hopped out of the bed, picking up her discarded underwear on her way out.

When she entered the bathroom, she smiled at the purple toothbrush that sat next to his on the counter. Biting her lip at the sight, she attempted to contain a wide grin. She then peeked in the cupboard beneath the sink where she stored a box of tampons. As the summer went on, they seemed to make a wordless agreement that it made practical sense for her to do so. She figured it was better that they didn’t talk about it, there was no need to talk about something that seemed to be working. That was okay, right? She wouldn’t think about it now.

When she returned to the bedroom, she saw her phone lighting up on the nightstand. Jeff was sitting up in bed and scrolling through his own. She picked it up and saw that it was an email from Charlotte, her coworker. Reading the message, she sighed and crawled back into bed.

He looked at her curiously, as he handed her one of his t-shirts to wear. She smiled gratefully and slipped it on. “I just got invited to my coworker’s engagement party.”

“You don’t want to go?” He got comfortable on his pillow, facing her.

Mirroring his position, she shrugged. “She’s nice and everything, but sometimes I feel out of place with the people I work with.”

“You hang out with them sometimes thought, right? Like the night you found me at the bar.”

She blushed, smiling at the memory. “That was the first time really. I thought it would help me get to know them better. I don’t think it helped much though because I spent the rest of the night with you,” she poked his chest.

It was his turn to grin, taking her hand and squeezing it. “I can’t say I’m really sorry about that.”

“Neither can I.” She could have sworn she saw his cheeks flush pink. She suddenly had an idea, but she knew it would be entering new territory for the two of them. But she kept a toothbrush in his bathroom! She stored tampons at his apartment! There was no reason why he would be upset, but still she asked hesitantly, “Would you…maybe want to come with me? To the party?”

He smirked. “You want me to be your plus one?”

“Only if you want to! I mean, I just thought I’d ask. I can always ask Abed…”

He seemed to take a moment to think about it, watching her as he turned over the information in his mind. “No, no. I’ll go.”

“You will?”

He shrugged, smiling. “I’m charming and likeable. They’ll love me.”

She laughed and lightly swatted his shoulder. “Are you sure? I don’t want to put you out or anything…”

“You’re not putting me out. I want to go. It’s a date.”

“It’s not a date! It’s just an engagement party that I am obligated to go to for work…” (Did he want it to be a date? Didn’t _she_ want it to be a date?)

He grinned, shrugging. “Sure, whatever you say. So tell me, when is this party?”

“Next Saturday. It’s at the Riverside Botanical Gardens. It’s in the afternoon, so I’ll pick you up around twelve.”

He leaned in to peck her lips before getting more comfortable and settling himself around her. “Okay.” He pulled her in so they were sharing a pillow. He remained quiet until she was done settling in for the night. It was only a few moments before he sang in her ear, “It’s a daaaaate.”

She couldn’t help but grin, but she still elbowed him lightly. She didn’t bother to argue. So what if it was a date? They’d basically been dating for the better part of the summer. They hadn’t yet said the fact out loud but… maybe this would be the start.

 

 


	9. Inevitable

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeff and Annie go to a party.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're halfway through! Thanks for reading! :)

 

When she picked him up, he answered the door with a smirk, and looking stunningly handsome. He wore a light grey suit with a pastel blue shirt. He forwent the tie, which she agreed was a good decision because the engagement party was during the day and outside. There was no need to be overly formal, especially when they didn’t know the couple that well. Though she was a bit nervous, Annie felt comfortable in her lavender dress that fell just above her knees. It was perfect for the summer and it complimented Jeff’s light grey perfectly.

As promised, she picked him up at noon, which gave them enough time to drive to the venue while still being early. Jeff encouraged her to relax, explaining that it would be better to arrive a few minutes late rather than early. (“Only the most attractive couples arrive last, Annie.”) He could tell she was nervous from the way she tapped her fingers on the steering wheel and he did what he could to calm her, which she appreciated.

“Ann,” he placed his hand over her fidgeting fingers. “Relax. What are you so worried about?”

 _He called her Ann._ “I told you, I just feel like I don’t fit in with anyone. Everyone is so close already. I’ve only been at the company for three months.”

“And they’re lucky to have you. Look, once they get to know you, they’ll love you. Take it from someone who was blindsided by the little brunette in my fake study group. You and the group are the best things that could have happened to me.”

She felt the heat flood her face and tears trickle the corners of her eyes. “We were really lucky,” she said. “To find people who loved us when it felt like no one else did.”

He smiled softly at her. “Come on,” he said grabbing her hand. “Let’s go be the prettiest couple at this party.”

When they reached the entrance, she took a deep breath before stepping into the party. She was hanging on to the arm Jeff held out for her and felt far more confident than she had when she left her apartment that morning.

It was hot outside, but luckily the venue was shaded by a large tent. Annie looked around and took note of everyone she saw there, most of whom she’d never met before. They were most likely the family of the bride and the groom, but she was relieved to find a collection of coworkers dispersed throughout the party.

As she took everything in, Jeff leaned down by her ear and whispered, “Ritzy party.”

She looked at him with wide eyes and nodded. As if on cue, Charlotte spotted Annie and excitedly made her way over to the couple. Annie always recognized how beautiful Charlotte was, she could be a model really. She was absolutely glowing in her cream-colored dress and matching stilettos.

“Annie! You made it!”

“Charlotte, hi! Of course, I wouldn’t miss it.” The women hugged.

“You look great,” she said pulling out of the hug.

Annie blushed, “Aw thank you. So do you, you look beautiful. And the party looks amazing!”

“Oh, stop,” she batted her hand. “Everything was so last minute.” Annie could have sworn she heard Jeff stifle a laugh. “So, who’s this?” Charlotte asked, referring to him.

“Oh! This is my…Jeff!” She froze, panicking. What was she supposed to call him? Her friend? With benefits? The guy she’d been dating all summer but they hadn’t yet called it dating? The man she’d known for years and always sort of had feelings for? The person she was most definitely in love with?

Thankfully Jeff saved her, making things much less awkward. “Yes, I’m her Jeff.” He leaned forward to shake her hand, which he did with a charming smile. “Congratulations on the engagement.” Charlotte giggled, blushing. How did he manage to make every woman blush?

“Oh, thank you! My fiancé is around here somewhere, I’m sure he’d love to meet you.” She looked over the crowd of people, searching for him when something else caught her eye. “Oh, Cynthia from accounting just arrived, I better go say hi.” As she walked away, she turned to quickly say, “Oh! You two are at Table 5!”

Annie smiled and nodded and then looked to Jeff. She relaxed a bit now that they were alone.

“See? That wasn’t so bad.” He smiled at her, shrugging.

“Charlotte is nice. It’s not really her I’m worried about.” Annie took Jeff’s arm that he offered as they walked, looking for their table. “It’s—” She stopped abruptly as she located their table and the woman already sitting there.

“What, what is it?” Jeff looked down at her, analyzing Annie’s horrified face.

“Annie Milstein.”

“Who?”

“Annie Milstein! She works with me and she’s the absolute worst!”

“You’re kidding right?” He gaped at her. “Are all of your nemeses _also_ named Annie?!”

“Jeff!”

He laughed, shaking his head. “I’m sorry, but come on!”

Ignoring him, Annie turned away from the table and groaned into her hands. “Why did Charlotte seat us together?”

“Hey, hey.” He squeezed her shoulder. “What’s up? Why do we not like her?”

She looked up at him with wide eyes. “She’s like Annie Kim but on steroids. Petty, vindictive, mean, and is constantly trying to one-up me. Except this time, it isn’t over some silly community college competition. This is my work, my career!”

“Okay,” Jeff nodded. “She sounds awful. And I’d like to see her fail miserably at everything she does. But we’re not going to let her ruin our afternoon, okay? I mean, look at her.” They glanced at the woman sitting alone. She was wearing a maroon, knee length dress, and a frown that revealed she was judging just about everyone around her. “That color dress in the middle of summer? She obviously doesn’t know the first thing about style.”

Annie let out a small laugh, grateful for the fact that he was trying to make her feel better. And she did, a little. Especially since she knew he would have her back, no matter what happened.

“Come on,” he held out his hand.

She nodded and took it, bracing herself for whatever crap Other Annie would throw at her that day. As the approached the table, Other Annie took notice and feigned a smile towards Annie before giving Jeff a once over. She didn’t bother standing as Jeff and Annie arrived to the table, which was expected. She probably figured it was beneath her.

“Annie,” Other Annie said.

“Annie,” Jeff’s Annie said back.

“I didn’t think you’d be coming today.”

“Of course, I came. Why wouldn’t I?” She tried so hard to use a friendly tone, she wasn’t going to stoop lower than the b—busy body…

“Well, you’re always talking about your weird little group of friends. I didn’t think you’d find the time to part with them.”

What a _bitch_. “Well, Annie,” she began. “Charlotte is also my friend, and I’m here. So you don’t have to spend anymore time thinking about me.”

She ignored Jeff’s laugh, which he smoothly tried to cover with a cough. That was the moment Other Annie took note of Jeff, giving him another once-over. She seemed to glance at him appreciatively, which of course made Annie’s protectiveness flare. Ignoring Annie, Other Annie reached out her hand for Jeff to take. “And you are?”

“Jeff Winger,” he politely shook her hand. “Annie’s boyfriend.”

Boyfriend. He just said boyfriend. Jeff Winger just called himself Annie Edison’s boyfriend. She tried so hard to remain calm without reacting. This wasn’t the time to figure out what he meant, what it _all_ meant! Ignoring her heart that sped up to an alarming degree, she simply nodded, squeezing his hand.

“Annie Milstein,” she said to Jeff even though he didn’t ask. Looking at Annie, she said, “I had no idea you were in a relationship. I’m sure there’s some reason why you never mentioned it.” With a sly smile, she turned to Jeff. “Tell me, Jeff. What is it that you do?”

“He’s a lawyer!” Annie interrupted, feeling fully defensive (and very willing to brag). How dare Other Annie question Jeff and his life choices.

“Well, isn’t that nice.” She scowled, taking a sip of her red wine.

Annie preened, and took the seat Jeff generously pulled out for her. He was always the perfect gentleman, but she knew he was laying it on extra thick for Other Annie. Which she loved.

“I try my best,” Jeff said, taking the seat beside Annie. He cleared his throat, before asking, “Are you here alone today?”

“Yes. My boyfriend, Stephen, he couldn’t make it tonight. He’s in Tokyo on business. He’s manages a hedge fund.” Annie rolled her eyes at Other Annie’s tone.

“Well that’s too bad. I would have liked to meet him,” Jeff replied.

“Yes, well, maybe another time.”

Annie and Jeff smiled at each other, holding back laughter. Because _booyah_ , they totally won this thing. As they slipped into conversation among themselves, his hand slid over hers on the tabletop. It was nice. Really, really, really nice.

Later, when their table slowly filled up with other guests, most of whom, Annie recognized from work, Jeff asked if she’d like a drink. She said yes, but only before he asked if she’d be okay by herself for a few minutes. She nodded and watched him head over to the bar. She thought it was sweet, the fact that he checked with her. But she could handle herself, and he knew that.

During his absence, Other Annie decided it was the perfect time to strike up another conversation. She was on her second glass of wine, but still seemed poised enough to boast through another conversation. “I’m sure you’ve heard. Diane is in talks of promoting someone from our department. Simone is going on maternity leave in September.”

Annie was taken aback but she didn’t let it show. She hadn’t heard this information and was concerned as to why she was left out of the loop. But she played it cool. “I haven’t actually. Where did you find that out?”

Other Annie smiled at this, “I know people. Don’t worry, I’m sure Diane will make the announcement soon. Of course, it won’t really matter because I plan on snatching the position once it’s available.”

“Oh?” Annie raised her eyebrows.

“I mean, I’ve been with the company longer than most. And I mean, it’s pretty telling that I’m the only employee who knows about the promotion. News travels fast, but not _that_ fast.” She smirked, sipping her drink.

“I seem to remember that we started at Futurza around the same time, Annie.” She couldn’t let her know this was getting under her skin. “But I’m sure whoever gets the promotion will be the right person for the job. Quality over quantity,” she smiled at the other woman.

Before she could say anything else, Jeff returned to the table with two glasses. One scotch, neat, and an appletini.

She gasped at the green liquid and little apple slice before beaming at him. “You got me an appletini! And I didn’t have to beg this time!” She put her hand over her heart.

“Anything for you, dear,” he tilted his head, grinning. He winked, and she smiled, pleased, knowing Other Annie was watching them.

Later, after dessert was served, guests started saying their goodbyes and trickling out of the venue. Annie had to admit, it was a beautiful party and she was glad she came, even if it meant sitting next to Annie Milstein all afternoon. The food was delicious, and presumably expensive, and she was relieved that Jeff seemed to have a good time. That morning she felt bad for dragging him along, for no other reason than moral support, but he kept teasing her and calling it a date, so she didn’t think he minded all that much.

Plus, she knew he had a good time messing with Other Annie. She left before they did, giving a cordial goodbye to the both of them. But not before telling Jeff the next time he would see her would be when she was Annie’s boss. Annie, of course, practically had steam coming out of her ears but was unable to make a comeback before Other Annie walked away with a snide smile.

“I hate her I hate her I hate her I hate her…” Annie grumbled before gulping down the rest of her appletini. Her third of the evening.

“Ugh, she’s worse than Rich,” he curled his mouth in disgust.

“Jeff.”

“Sorry. You ready to get going?”

“Yes. Let me just say goodbye to Charlotte.”

When they reached the woman, she was standing by the bar with her fiancé, who looked to be about Jeff’s age, perhaps a few years younger. They had been so busy hosting the party that Annie was never introduced to him.

“Annie! You’re leaving? I’m sorry you didn’t get a chance to talk with Sean.”

Sean, the fiancé, shook her hand. “Hey, thanks for coming. Maybe we can chat next time.”

Annie smiled politely, as Charlotte gestured towards Jeff. “This is Jeff, Annie’s…”

“Boyfriend,” Jeff finished for her. _He said it again._ “Congrats on the engagement.” They shook hands.

“Jeff’s a lawyer,” Charlotte added.

“No kidding! I’ve been looking for a new one. My last guy decided to move to New York because he thinks his true calling is in the theater.”

Jeff laughed, “Wow, well I can confidently say that Shakespeare isn’t really my thing.”

“That’s great,” the man laughed. “Maybe I’ll give you a call.”

Annie watched something flash across Jeff’s face, but like the pro he was, he hid anything that threatened his cool demeanor. Curious, she kept her eyes on him and entwined their fingers as the two men finished their goodbyes. Annie decided it would be best to ask him about it later. Maybe when they weren’t in public, and maybe when her head wasn’t throbbing with reality of three martinis and a glass of champagne.

After the final goodbyes, the two walked towards the parking lot and for the first time Annie noticed that there was a slight chill in the evening summer air. It was only around six, but Colorado summers were expected to cool down exceptionally as the sun set. They were quiet as they walked, Annie feeling drained from the entire afternoon.

They reached her car and Jeff turned to her.

“Keys?”

“What? I’m fine, I can drive. I’m not drunk.”

“Annie, whenever you’re tipsy you start using SAT prep words.”

“…And?”

“Just a few minutes ago, you told me that Other Annie’s _adversarial_ attitude is the reason why she’ll never get promoted…And that she looks like a giraffe when she wears high heels.”

“She won’t! …And she does.”

“Keys.” He smiled and held out his hand.

She huffed and drop them in his hand. She wasn’t all that upset, especially because he placed his hand on the small of her back as he gently ushered her into the car.

The car ride was quiet and Annie took the time to think. She had the whole _boyfriend_ thing to agonize over, but for the moment, she couldn’t help but think of how unhappy she was at her job. She was good at it, one of the most proficient pharmaceutical reps the company’s ever had no doubt, but…it wasn’t what she wanted. At the time, it seemed to be the next logical step in her life plan. Now that she had it, she didn’t want it.

There was probably something wrong with her.

But then she thought of Annie Milstein and all of the coworkers she couldn’t get close to, and she realized that they weren’t the people she wanted to surround herself with. The thought of working with them for the rest of her career made her want to bash her eyes out with the damn pens they make her give to people who have no desire doing business with her.

By the time Jeff pulled into her parking space, it was nearing seven o’clock. The place was nearly empty, most likely because her neighbors were spending their Saturday night out on the town. She knew she would have the apartment to herself for a while, but she hoped she could convince Jeff to stay for a bit.

“Huh. Your roommates aren’t around.”

“Troy’s at work and Abed’s with Rachel…” she mumbled as he keyed into her apartment.

“Let’s get you to bed.”

“It’s early…”

“You’ll feel better if you sleep.” He walked them slowly to her room, letting her lean on him for support. She wasn’t drunk, really, but the stress of the day and the reality of her career was weighing on her.

“Jeff…” She sat on the edge of the bed, pouting.

“Hm?”

“I hate my job. And I hate Other Annie.”

He knelt in front of her, grasping her calf with one hand while the other slipped the heel off her foot. One and then the other. His hands were warm and soft against her skin, exactly as they always were whenever he touched her. She watched his movements, the way he carefully placed each shoe beside her nightstand, the way he slowly climbed to his feet to reach behind her to unzip the dress that fell low on her back.

“Arms.”

She watched his face as he lifted the hem of her dress and pulled it over her head. His eyes were on hers as her hair fell wildly over her cheeks. His eyes were soft, like he wanted to take care of her. Right now, she needed it. Because he knew she wasn’t okay.

She didn’t say anything as he went to her dresser and pulled out her purple plaid pajama shorts and matching tank. He looked so large, standing in her bedroom, going about the place like he was there often. She took the clothes from him and put them on herself, because as much as she loved the fact that he was taking care of her, she didn’t need a grown man dressing her.

“Thank you,” she said quietly.

“You’re welcome.” His hand smoothed over her hair, it was sticking up from the static of pulling over her top. She took his hand as it fell away from her, and she held it between both of hers.

“How will you get home? We took my car.”

“I’ll call a cab.”

“Jeff…I feel bad.”

“Annie, it’s fine. I promise.”

“Why don’t you stay?”

He sighed, “You know I can’t…”

She nodded, pouting. “Will you at least lay with me while you wait?”

“That, I can do.” She let go of his hand so he could take off his jacket, which he draped over her desk chair. As he did that, she lifted her sheets and settled underneath, leaving room for him to join her. He slipped off his shoes and wordlessly joined her, where she immediately snuggled into his side. His arm wrapped around her shoulders, holding her warm and close.

“Thank you for coming with me today,” she mumbled against him.

“Anything for you, dear.”

He smirked at her before she reached up to kiss him, tender and deep, but it only lasted a few moments, because she dropped back down into his arms. He called for his cab while next to her, and the only other sounds that filled the room were from the cars on the street outside. She toyed with the buttons on his shirt in the silence. He was so quiet since they left the party, but then again, so was she. It seemed to be a day of reflection for the both of them.

She wasn’t ready to sleep just yet, and she wanted to wait until he left before she did, so she decided to bring up the other thing that had been weighing on her since the party. The day couldn’t have gotten more exhausted, so why not? “You told Annie Milstein you were my boyfriend.” She felt his breathing halt, she imagined that he momentarily panicked at the conversation that they were about to have. That they _needed_ to have.

“…Yeah.”

She turned to look at him, she needed to see his face if they were going to talk about this. “Is that what you want to be?”

He sighed, uncomfortable. “Annie, maybe we should talk about this when—”

“I want to talk about it now. Please answer the question. Is that what you want?”

He gazed at her, and she realized that the final shred of worry was quickly fading away.  He was in her bed, she was in his arms. They saw each other almost every day. They had sex, they slept together. There was only one answer.

“Yes.”

 _Yes_. She felt the smile beginning to form on her face and the blush coloring her cheeks. She even saw color bloom across Jeff’s. She sat up fully and knelt beside him before whispering, “I really wanted you to say yes.” And then she leaned forward to capture his lips.

“Yeah?”

“Yes,” she smiled against his mouth.

It wasn’t long before he kissed her back, and what started as a slow and tentative kiss became deep and demanding. His hand cupped the back of her head and he sat up to meet her half way. He pulled away to rest his forehead against hers while he caught his breath.

“Promise me this won’t change anything.” He sounded so vulnerable, like he’d lose her if he said the wrong thing. Maybe this was why it took them so long to get to this point. To admit what they were to each other. But it wouldn’t change anything. They didn’t speak it into existence, it already existed.

“I promise,” she said, her hand smoothing over his stubble. She wanted this. She wanted this so badly. Wasn’t that what she really hoped for when she bought him that drink at the bar?

“This…this has been something for a while, hasn’t it?”

“I think we’ve both been afraid to admit it.”

His smoothed his hand over her hair. “It wasn’t so hard,” he smiled sheepishly. She was surprised when he asked, but she knew it was a good thing that he wanted to be more open with her, “When did this become something more for you?”

She looked down, breaking eye contact. She couldn’t help the blush that colored her cheeks. “I think you know that I’ve always had feelings for you,” she murmured, still afraid of what she might see in his expression. But she decided to be brave. “I never knew where I stood with you.” She finally looked at him, “But I missed you. A lot. I decided to take a chance this summer, and I just let myself enjoy it, whatever time we had together. Whatever it was. Even if there was a chance I’d get hurt in the end.”

“The last thing I ever want to do is hurt you, Annie,” he said gently, pushing hair behind her ear. “I know my feelings for you have always seemed complicated, but they were there. I wasn’t ready before. At Greendale. Which sounds so fucking dumb, but timing is everything. And when I saw you at the bar, I realized how much I missed you. So I stopped fighting it.”

She took in his words and was pleased to know that it was never just one-sided. There was a part of her that was angry at him, for making it seem like it all used to be in her head. The part of her who was tired of his jealous tendencies and hurt that he once shot her down in front of all their friends. But the part of her that was present in the current moment, the part of her that knew he was right when he said that timing was everything, was who she decided to be. They deserved the best versions of each other.

Instead of saying anything, she leaned in to kiss him again, to kiss away any worry he had about what he just revealed.

She kissed him because it was new beginning.

 

 


	10. Discretion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The study group has dinner.

 

As the summer went on, the group tried to get together more often. They had all been pretty busy lately, so it had been a while since they had a get together. Shirley had been working on expanding Shirley’s Sandwiches to other areas, Britta still worked at the bar but had been traveling around for most of the summer. Troy got a job at the video game store at the mall, and Abed had apparently been editing videos for people, and would soon be filming a commercial, thanks to Jeff. Speaking of Jeff, other than her roommates, Annie had been seeing him consistently throughout the summer.

Oh, and he was her boyfriend.

This fact was not yet known by any of their friends.

Things had been going well since the night they made it official. It had been a day full of reflection and realization. For both Annie’s work life and love life. They finally admitted that their friends with benefits situation had become more of a girlfriend/boyfriend with benefits situation, which was always kind of the case anyway. As for her career, Annie was grateful for the fact that although she was stressed and often times unhappy while working, she had Jeff to go home to. And he was there for not only moral support, but he always reassured her that she had other options, she just had to figure out what it was she truly wanted. She wasn’t completely sure at the moment, but she couldn’t deny the fact that the idea of forensics appealed to her more than anything. But it was something she’d think about another day.

When Shirley called to invite everyone to dinner Friday night, Jeff and Annie reluctantly cancelled their date so they could spend time with their friends. Especially since it would have been suspicious for both of them to not show up. She supposed she’d been selfish with her free time lately because most of it had been spent with Jeff.

If her roommates were concerned, they hadn’t made it obvious.

She, along with Troy and Abed, were the first to arrive. Annie went straight to help Shirley in the kitchen. Apparently, she and Andre had been feeling tension lately, so he took the boys to a movie at the cinema. She felt bad for the situation, so it was important for Annie to be as helpful as possible. Britta was next to arrive, bursting through the door out of breath, claiming she rushed all the way from the airport to get there. And of course, Jeff arrived fashionably late, waltzing through the door like everyone was waiting for his arrival.

Annie rolled her eyes, holding back a smile when he greeted everyone. But it didn’t seem out of the ordinary because everyone was already giving him a hard time about his late and suave entrance. Due to this fact, Shirley forced him to help set the dining room table to which he sighed but didn’t argue. He smirked at her when they were alone in the kitchen, and she could feel her pulse pound against her throat as their secret lingered between them.

She snapped out of it when Shirley entered the room, breaking her train of thought. Annie quickly took the plate of chicken and headed to the other room.

“Jeffrey.” Shirley eyed his neck as she handed him a bowl of salad to set on the dining room table. “Is that, um, a hickey on your neck?” She was using her sweet voice.

Annie’s eyes grew comically wide as Jeff quickly tried to cover the spot with his collar. He scoffed, trying to act casual, “What? No…”

Everyone in the next room, except for Abed and Annie, let out a string of _ooohs_ at Shirley’s discovery and Jeff’s denial. What they didn’t know was that it was Annie who was responsible for the hickey on his neck. They had no idea that only twenty hours ago, she and Jeff were tangled together in his sheets while she spent an indescribable amount of time pressing kisses and little bites to his throat before soothing the area with her mouth and tongue. She couldn’t help it, he tasted so good. He didn’t protest of course, because he usually let her do whatever she wanted to him in bed. And if his soft moans and contented hums were any consolation, she had an inkling that he loved every minute of it.

“Jeffrey! Who have you been canoodling with?” Shirley asked delightedly. “Will we get to meet this woman?”

Britta scoffed from her place on the couch. “Yeah right. It’s probably his secretary. Does it get lonely in your office, Jeff?”

Jeff rolled his eyes, being sure to not look at Annie during any of this conversation. “I don’t have a secretary, Britta,” he grumbled.

“Oh. Why is that again?” She asked, finding amusement in teasing him.

Abed interjected, “It’s because he can’t afford one.”

“Abed!”

“What? It’s true,” he shrugged.

“You guys!” Annie finally spoke, “Leave Jeff alone. He’s working hard at his firm and he should be proud of what he’s accomplished so far.” Jeff looked at her gratefully, and she wished she could wrap her arms around him and give him a comforting kiss.

“Fine, whatever. But aren’t you at least a bit curious about the hickey?” Britta added.

“We all know Jeff goes on dates, I don’t see what the big deal is,” Annie mumbled.

“Yeah, Annie’s right. We all know the dude gets it, like, every other night,” Troy piped up from beside Britta.

Shirley cleared her throat at his phrasing and decided to drop the conversation, “Okay, well it’s time to eat now so we will not be talking about Jeff and who he lays with.”

At that, Jeff sighed, annoyed at Shirley’s passive judgement, but otherwise remained quiet, thankful that the topic was dropped. For now at least. They all sat down at the table, Annie taking a seat beside him. While everyone else was chatting and beginning to fill their plates, she discretely placed her hand over his, giving it a squeeze under the table. Because she kind of felt bad that he was put on the spot, and because she felt like they were in this together. They had this thing between them that was just for them, and she wanted to keep it sacred. It reminded her of what it was like when they were at Greendale, when they paired up on exciting capers, to discover conspiracies and defend dead yams. It was them against the world.

He stole a glance at her and gave her a soft smile, squeezing her hand in return. It was only a moment before it turned into a smirk because nobody else at the table knew that under her blouse, Annie had a matching hickey that Jeff had given her in return. Of course, the one he gave her was lower on her chest and easily hidden beneath the high collar of her blouse.

She felt herself blush, and quickly pulled her hand away, ready to begin eating. She almost jumped in her seat when she saw Abed watching them. If Jeff noticed, he didn’t react.

“Salad?” Abed offered.

“Um, thanks,” she cleared her throat and took the bowl he offered.

\---

After that nerve-wracking moment with Abed, dinner had gone smoothly and most of the conversation revolved around Britta’s latest trip to Mexico. The evening went on as normal, and included Jeff’s sarcastic comments, Britta’s biting comebacks, and Troy asking the most ridiculous questions about the Mexican candy Britta brought home for him. Annie was sure to keep her interactions with Jeff minimal, not wanting to receive attention from the group.

Later, when everyone gathered around Shirley’s television to watch a movie, Annie was in the kitchen loading the dishwasher, wanting to give Shirley a break after cooking an entire meal for the six of them. She didn’t mind the task, feeling like she needed a break from the group. She loved them, but they were exhausting sometimes.

What she didn’t expect was for Jeff to sneak up on her in the quiet kitchen.

“Hey.”

She gasped, nearly dropping a glass to the floor. “Jeff! What are you doing?”

He snorted, leaning against the counter. “Just came in to get a drink.”

“Oh. Well you scared me.”

He grinned at her, “Sorry.” He then moved around so he was beside her, reaching up for a glass in the cupboard, purposely moving into her space. Acting as if he wasn’t intentionally trying to drive her mad (did he really know she wanted to jump his bones all night?), he filled his glass with water and took a long sip. She watched him, rather than continuing her task. “What?” He asked.

“Nothing.”

After downing the rest of the water, he playfully squinted at her and reached behind her to place the glass in the dishwasher, crowding her between himself and the counter. She wanted to tell him to stop, that their friends were just in the next room and that they could walk in at any moment. But she didn’t, because she really liked the way he was looking at her.

“Thanks a lot, by the way,” he said in a low voice. “If it wasn’t for your handiwork, I wouldn’t have been ridiculed by half our friends earlier.” He wasn’t mad, just teasing.

“Oh please. It was only Britta and Shirley,” she tugged on the hem of his shirt. “You know how they are. And I don’t remember you complaining last night.” She reached up and ran her thumb over the visible hickey on his neck. Oops.

He covered her hand with his and held it in place, running his thumb over her knuckles. “You can mark me anytime,” he smirked. “Plus, I got to return the favor afterwards.”

“And this morning.”

“If I remember correctly, it was _me_ that had to pry you off of my chest so neither of us would be late for work.”

She shrugged a shoulder playfully, “I was only making up for tonight.”

He breathed out a quiet laugh and leaned down to _finally_ press a kiss to her lips when they heard Britta call out something and shuffle down the hallway towards the kitchen. They ripped apart instantly, Jeff immediately turning to the sink. By the time she made her way into the room, Jeff was handing Annie dishes to be placed in the dishwasher, as if he’d been helping her this entire time. She stopped and observed them, and Annie hoped Britta couldn’t see the blush that was definitely covering her face. Jeff was able to remain calm, damn him. How did he do it all the time?

“Um.” Britta squinted at them. “What’s going on?”

“What do you mean?” Annie was proud of the way she managed to keep her voice steady.

“You’ve been gone for a while…”

Jeff rolled his eyes, “Just helping Annie with the dishes.”

“Hmm…You’re helping? Hard to believe you’re doing this without an ulterior motive.”

“Real nice, Britta. I didn’t see you rushing in here to help.”

“You guys!” Annie interjected. “Stop bickering. Jeff, thank you for helping me. And Britta, stop being so hard on him, please. Although I am perfectly capable, I appreciate the help.”

“Fine. Sorry,” Britta mumbled, going to the refrigerator to refill her glass of lemonade. “Just…hurry up. We started the movie already.” She looked at them skeptically before heading back to the living room.

As much as Annie was annoyed at the way Britta had been treating Jeff today, and the fact that they _were_ hiding something from the group, she couldn’t help but feel defensive. To be honest, if the group found out about what was going on with them, she didn’t think she could find much in her to care. She knew it wouldn’t go over as well she’d like, but she was willing to risk it because this thing with Jeff made her happy. Maybe it was wrong of them to keep it a secret for so long, but why did they owe the truth to anyone but themselves?

“Thanks,” Jeff said quietly, breaking her train of thought.

She smiled at him under the dim light of the kitchen. “You’re welcome. I guess she does have a reason to be suspicious, though,” she raised an eyebrow at him.

“I guess so,” he said, looking down into the sink. “Would it be so bad if we gave them a reason to _not_ be suspicious?”

She gasped. “You mean…tell them?”

He looked at her, shrugging. “Do you really think it would be that bad?”

She melted a little, relieved it was something he’d been thinking about. She moved next to him, curling her pinkie around his, where his hand was resting against the counter. “No,” she looked up at him. “I don’t think it would be so bad. They’d get over it. I just think we have to tell them before they find out on their own.” He nodded, looking at their hands. She bumped his shoulder, “This is something I’ve been thinking about too.”

“Yeah?”

She nodded, smiling.

A grin began to spread across his face, “Good. Because it’s been really difficult not kissing you all night. Especially after you defended my honor in front of all our friends. That was really hot.” She blushed and they laughed together.

She glanced back towards the hallway, worried they’d be getting another visitor. “Why don’t we talk about this tomorrow, when we’re alone?”

“Yeah, okay,” he sighed, agreeing. “We should probably…” he bobbed his head in the direction of their friends.

“I’ll be right out, okay? I’m just going to finish up in here.”

He nodded, gazing at her. What seemed to be a last minute decision, he pressed a lingering kiss to her temple before leaving the room and disappearing down the hallway.

When she was finally alone, she let out a deep breath, collecting herself. This was good. Jeff wanted to tell their friends the truth. It was good. Good good good.

 

 


	11. Dread

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Revealing situations.

 

It was the first time they were doing it at her apartment. Troy and Abed had tickets to see a special viewing of the new Kickpuncher movie over in Denver, so they wouldn’t be back until close to midnight. She called Jeff early that afternoon to invite him over, explaining that they would have the place to themselves, and it was only fair that he drove to her this time, because she spent too many nights driving back to her apartment the same time her creepy shoe-loving landlord came home from god knows where. He accepted her request, assuring her that he would use his lawyerly skills on the guy if he _just so_ _happened_ to run into him. Annie was pleased.

It was around eight o’clock by the time he arrived, her roommates only had been gone for about an hour. She greeted him with a kiss and pulled him by the hands into her bedroom.

“How was work today?” She asked as she gently pushed him onto her bed.

“It was…alright.” He shrugged, “The usual.”

She crawled into his lap and kissed him. “I missed you.”

He kissed her back in response, nudging his nose against hers, “I missed you too.”

Needless to say, seeing him on her tiny bed made her feel all kinds of giddy, and it didn’t take before she tore off his clothes. Something shifted between them each more every day. Sure they were now boyfriend and girlfriend, but what she felt for him was so much deeper. Their sex had always felt new and exciting, but it was their conversations after that seemed to be even more intimate. She kind of liked it that way, because it made her feel like they could preserve their friendship no matter what happened between them.

“Annie, you’re bed is so damn small,” Jeff murmured against her lips while she straddled him. “I can’t flip you over because we’ll end up on the floor.” He was always so dramatic but it made her laugh so she let him complain.

“Good, I want to be on top,” she kissed along his jaw.

“Well then,” he smirked. “Be my guest.”

Oh, she planned to. But first… She slid down his body, kissing his chest, the hard plains of his abs, the sensitive skin at his waist that was particularly ticklish. She kissed everywhere she could reach until her mouth was hovering over his erection. He obviously wasn’t expecting her to be so generous with him this evening, which she loved. And the fact that they were in her bed made it even hotter.

She kissed around his thighs and once he felt her hot breath on him, he closed his eyes and groaned. “Oh fuck.” She teased him with her hands and when she finally took him in her mouth, he let out a shaky exhale. She loved knowing how much she was affecting him. She moved her tongue over him methodically, taking her time and touching every inch. His left hand immediately tangled in her hair, needing to touch her in some way. His right hand pulled at her sheets, and he let out a shaky laugh, like he couldn’t possibly believe how she was making him feel. “Fuck, fuck, fuck.”

She watched him from her place between his legs, and seeing his current state made her giggle around him, which elicited another groan.

“Annie,” he panted. “I need to be inside you.”

Her heart fluttered, and she would be lying to herself if hearing those words didn’t almost make her come on the spot. Her mouth left him and she crawled up his body to kiss him deeply. Their tongues slid together and he kept her anchored to him. She relished the feeling of their bodies pressed together. They made out for a little longer until the friction she created against his thigh was no longer good enough, and it wasn’t long before she positioned herself and took him inside.

She began a slow rhythm, just barely moving against him. He tried to get her to move faster, squeezing her hips with his large hands, but she only shook her head, wanting to make it last. She paused her movements all together and leaned down to give him a messy kiss.

“God. You’re so…uhn…beautiful,” he panted when she sat up and swiveled her hips.

“Mmm…Jeff…” she whined, finally, finally, beginning to rise and fall over him.

“So so so—”

“Shh…” she shook her head, moving faster. It was then that he took hold of her hips again and began thrusting up in time with her movements. “Oh god…I want…”

“What?” He panted, “What do you want?”

She wanted to be closer, to feel him everywhere. It wasn’t that she hated the view of him writhing below her, but she wanted to feel the warmth of his chest and his arms around her. “You, I want you,” she breathed.

It was a moment before he could register her words, but she saw him search her eyes as they moved. In an instant, he seemed to understand and quickly began to slide into a seated position against her headboard. “Better?” He kept her steady with his arm around her back and she nodded erratically, grateful when he pulled her against him. He nipped at her shoulder and then her ear, sending little shocks to the tips of her fingers which were now embedded in his hair.

The next few minutes were filled with the sounds of harsh breaths until Annie began to clench around him. He reached his hand between them to help her along and when she came, he worked her through it, and she sucked on his neck until he soon followed. He groaned and held on to her as they both caught their breaths. Unable to sit up any longer, they fell to the bed together. After a while, his hands began to roam her back, massaging her skin as the cool air settled around them.

“We should do it in your bed more often,” Jeff breathed. “Fuck.”

Annie laughed against him, nuzzling her face against his shoulder, not ready to move off of him just yet. “See? It’s not so small.”

He hummed in agreement, tilting her head towards him so he could give her a kiss. It was her turn to hum as she kissed him back, once, twice, and three times. Then, she relaxed her chin on her hands, and they watched each other in silence for a few minutes. She squinted at him which made him laugh, and he began tracing the features along her face. He playfully tapped the tip of her nose with his finger and she giggled. Anyone else would be surprised at just how affectionate he was being, but not Annie. She learned that Jeff Winger could be playful and caring and loving when he let someone in.

“Hey,” she whispered. “Are you hungry?” He arrived later in the evening, so they both had already eaten dinner. But Annie always worked up an appetite after having wild sex with him, so she was feeling extra ravenous that night.

“No, I’m good.”

She pouted, pondering. “I’m in the mood for peanut butter and jelly.”

He snorted, grinning down at her. “You’re adorable.”

She smiled, “You sure you don’t want one?”

“Positive.”

“Okay,” she placed a kiss on his bare chest and hopped off, retrieving her robe from her desk chair. “Do you at least want something to drink?” She asked as she pulled her hair out from under the collar.

“I’ll take a water,” he said sitting up.

“One water it is, then. I’ll be right back!” Annie walked out of her bedroom and practically floated into the kitchen. She never could have anticipated the way in which her relationship with Jeff would make her feel. As she gathered ingredients and assembled her sandwich, she reflected on the fact that things were going so well. For the first time in her life she wasn’t worried, because she knew they were actually on the same page. Everything she felt for him was reflected in his actions.

The way he made her feel whenever they were in bed together, comfortable and safe, while still having fun with her. He was attentive to her needs and still playful. The way he spoke to her during sex, always affectionate and soothing. The fact that they made each other laugh to keep things light and easy. But he could also be serious at times, and openly honest about what he was feeling, or felt in the past.

She loved him.

She grinned, biting her lip at the thought. She loved him, and she was fairly confident that he loved her too. As much as she hated the fact that they’ve had to keep their affection for one another a secret, she was glad that they were able to explore this territory without the watchful, and often judgmental, eyes of their friends. (But they were going to tell them soon. Soon!)

She put her sandwich on a plate and walked back into the room, taking bite before she climbed back in bed. Jeff was reclined against her headboard, and he made room for her to settle in next to him.

“Good?” He grinned as she made her self comfortable and took another bite.

“Mhm…” She looked at the food and then back at him. “Are you sureeee you don’t want some?” She sang. “Here, have a bite.”

He squinted the sandwich in her hand. “So much sugar,” he lamented.

“But there’s also protein. Come on, you know you want it.”

He sighed, giving in to her persuasion. He took a bite of the sandwich that she held out for him, and she giggled at the fact that she was currently feeding Jeff Winger in her bed. He chewed and nodded, resting his head back, “You were right. It’s good.”

“Told you,” she said. “Oh, I forgot the water!” She shoved the plate into his hands and hopped out of bed. “That better not be gone when I get back!” She grinned when she heard him say something with his mouth full on her way out of the room.

But that was the moment when everything went to hell. Because as she was rummaging through her refrigerator, she heard the dreaded sound of keys unlocking the apartment door. Her stomach dropped.

Shit.

Shit shit shit.

Before she could make a run for it, Troy and Abed were making their way into the apartment.

She froze.

“I just don’t see why humans can’t have flippers. Then we could just swim everywhere and traffic jams would be solved!” Troy was in the middle of some spiel as they walked into the room.

“Troy! Abed!” Annie said, without glancing towards her bedroom. She had no idea if Jeff could hear what was happening.

“Oh hey, Annie!” Troy took in her attire, the fact that she was wearing nothing but her robe…and holding two water bottles.

“What are you guys doing back so early? I thought the screening ended at eleven!”

Abed looked at her with a blank expression. “Cancelled. A pipe burst at the theater and the place flooded.” He pointed at the water bottles in her hand. “Do you have company?”

She looked at him and seemingly forgot how to speak. “Um—” And somehow things got worse.

Much, much worse.

“You guys couldn’t wait two more minutes while I got my jacket in the car?” Britta’s voice was now approaching the apartment, and that sinking feeling Annie experienced just a moment ago felt so much worse. She wasn’t sinking, she was plummeting. Britta came into view, unaware of the tension in the room. “Annie! What are you—”

Abed interjected, “We invited Britta because we wanted to have a movie night here instead. We texted Jeff too.” He gave her a pointed look, because of course he figured it out.

Damn it! They didn’t see the text because his phone was in his jeans which were currently on the floor of her bedroom.

“Wait, wait, wait,” Britta smirked. “Are we interrupting something?” She eyed Annie up and down and then glanced at the open bedroom door.

“Um!” She was legitimately panicking, and she realized that there was nothing she could do to prevent this mess from unfolding. In the very next moment, Jeff, who mostly likely heard what was going on, appeared in the doorway to her bedroom. His jeans were pulled on, his belt haphazardly fitted around his waist. And his shirt was wrinkled and incorrectly buttoned. The situation couldn’t have been more obvious. And then she looked at his face, and his eyes searched hers. All she could do was shrug, tiredly and anticipate everything they had coming their way.

“What the fuck.” Britta gaped at Jeff and then looked to Annie for answers.

Troy’s eyes were wide, like he was piecing together everything that had been going on for the past few months. And Abed, he was quiet, nodding to himself, like this was all just confirming what he already knew.

“How long?”

Annie took a deep breath. “Let us explain—”

“How. Long.” Britta was the angriest Annie had ever seen her.

Annie was about to answer when Jeff interjected. “Since May.”

“May?! You’ve been sleeping with her since May?!”

“Yes, but I don’t see why that matters,” he crossed his arms over his chest.

“You don’t see why it _matters_? Oh, I don’t know! Maybe because you’ve been lying to us for three months! Maybe because it’s _Annie_!”

“Hey!” Annie said, defensively. “What’s that supposed to mean?!”

“Annie, do you really think it means anything to him? You really think he’s going to jump on a horse and become your knight in shining armor? It’s _Jeff_.”

“Britta!” It was Annie’s turn to gape, offended for both herself and Jeff.

“What? You know how he is! He sleeps with women and forgets about them!”

“What the hell, Britta? Real nice,” Jeff actually sounded hurt.

“Guys,” Britta looked to Troy and Abed. “Back me up! You know how Jeff is.”

Troy gestured as if he was going to say something, but no words left his mouth. Abed, on the other hand, had no hesitation. “That isn’t entirely true because Jeff has a history of consistent relationships with women. Slater back in 2010, Britta the following year.”

She sputtered, “We weren’t _dating_ , Abed!”

“But it was consistent, no? And Jeff’s history with Annie has indicated that they’ve had consistent sexual tension for the past four and a half years. Beginning with the Debate of ‘09 and continuing when they made out at the tranny dance, the time Annie lost her pen, when they teamed up to teach the dean a lesson about conspiracies, when Jeff helped Annie defeat Annie Kim with Model UN, the ski trip they planned just for two of them. Not to mention, Jeff has always been jealous whenever Annie has had other sexual prospects—”

“We get it, Abed!” Britta snapped. “But that doesn’t mean that _this_ ,” she pointed between the two people in question, “is okay!”

“And why the hell not?” Annie crossed her arms.

“Look, Annie, I know you’ve had a crush on him for god knows how long, but he’s not the type of guy you want to be with! He’s not going to be your boyfriend and he sure as hell isn’t going to settle down!”

“Britta, you have no idea what’s going on here, and you have no idea what I want! This is between me and Jeff! Not you, or Shirley, or them!” She pointed at her roommates. “Or anyone else! Why do you think we’ve kept it a secret?”

“But that’s just it! You shouldn’t be someone’s dirty little secret!”

“Goddammit, Britta.” Jeff raised his voice. “She’s not my dirty little secret! And I’m very tired of you treating me like I’m human garbage. Annie and I are both adults and we are capable of making our own decisions. And she’s right, you have no idea what’s going on.”

“Fine, I don’t know? Then tell me.” She crossed her arms, unimpressed.

Annie was about ready to burst into tears. Not because their friend was yelling at them, but because she was so angry. She was so sick of being treated like some delicate, naïve teenager who didn’t know the first thing about love or relationships! And now, they were being forced to explain themselves before she even got to tell him that she loved him. “We don’t have to answer to you!”

It could have been so easy to just say that he was her boyfriend. That they were in a monogamous and healthy relationship. But she hated the fact that she was being questioned. That she and Jeff’s intentions were being construed to be anything but genuine.

The look Jeff was giving her right now told her that he didn’t want to give Britta an answer either. At least one that would save them from this mess without ridicule.

“That’s exactly what I thought.”

Jeff rolled his eyes and threw his hands up, “Fine, think whatever the hell you want. You know what, while we’re at it, does anyone else have anything they need to say about me or my relationship with Annie?”

The tension ran high as everyone remained silent, until Troy, who was close to tears, cried out, “Abed told me your law firm is failing! You don’t have enough money and you have to shut it down! I tried to keep it a secret, I tried! But all this yelling is making me nervous and I don’t know how to handle my emotions right now!”

“WHAT?” Annie and Britta yelled at the same time.

And that was the moment that broke him. It wasn’t their friends catching them in the act, it wasn’t the insults coming his way from Britta. It was something Annie was completely unaware of. It was the one thing he never told her.

Jeff looked as if he completely shut down, stunned at what was just announced to the room. And more importantly, Annie, because in the months they’d been together, he kept this reality hidden from her. She would be lying if she said she wasn’t hurt that he didn’t tell her, but nevertheless, there was still a part of her that felt for him in the moment. A part of her that wanted to hug him and tell him that everything would be okay.

But she couldn’t because she _was_ confused, and she _was_ a little hurt. Everything was going so terribly wrong.

“Annie,” he said, ignoring everyone else in the room. “I’m sorry,” he shrugged tiredly. Shaking his head, he said, “I really can’t do this right now.” He walked close to her and squeezed her arm, searching her eyes. In a low voice he said, “I’ll call you later, okay?” She nodded, distractedly. It was difficult to process everything that had just been revealed. “I’m sorry,” he whispered once more.

And with that, he left the apartment while everyone stood in silence. Britta watched the interaction with a scowl on her face.

“I should not have said that,” Troy winced.

“Typical.” Britta grumbled.

That put Annie over the edge and she angrily placed her hands on her hips, pushing away all thoughts about Jeff’s firm and the fact that he left her standing there to deal with the aftermath by herself. “I can’t believe all of you.”

“ _You_ can’t believe _us_?”

“No, Britta! I can’t believe you! Jeff and I are your friends!”

“Exactly! I’m just looking out for you guys—”

“No! You’re not. You just hate the idea of Jeff and I being together. And you know what, maybe I get it. I understand why this might be weird for you, but you have no idea how we feel about each other. You always assume the worst in us. And that’s what really hurts.”

For the first time that night, Britta was left speechless, and with that, Annie fled to her bedroom with tears in her eyes.

When she slammed the door and relaxed against it, she counted to ten, willing herself not to cry. When she finally opened her eyes, she noticed the rumpled sheets, where she and Jeff were just only twenty minutes ago. And sitting in the middle of the bed was a half eaten peanut butter and jelly sandwich. She let a small sob escape before going to her bed.  

She placed the dish on her bedside table. She lost her appetite.

 

 


	12. Discussions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to quickly thank everyone for the kind words about my latest few chapters. Thank you for reading and enjoying <3

 

She waited three hours for him to call.

She heard Britta leave soon after she fled to her bedroom, slamming the front door with nothing more than a goodbye to Troy and Abed. The two of them on the other hand, not-so-subtly whispered outside her bedroom door before finally making the decision to leave her alone and watch TV. She was glad, though, because she wasn’t in the mood to speak to anyone.

Although, that wasn’t completely true, because she wanted to speak to her boyfriend, and she spent the rest of her night waiting for Jeff to call. She didn’t know what she expected him to say. She didn’t believe he could explain everything to her in one measly phone call, and when she really thought about it, she didn’t want to have the conversation over the phone at all. She wanted to speak to him in person, so they could talk through it and physically be there for one another. But she still deserved to hear from him. Even if it was just a quick, “I’m sorry I left, won’t happen again! Did I leave my socks under your bed?”

She spent the night thinking of what she would say to him. She thought of the questions that she would ask him. Why didn’t he tell her? Why, in the three months they’d been together, didn’t he tell her that his law firm was crumbling to the ground? Didn’t he trust her? Why didn’t he confide in the woman, but more importantly, the friend, that he’d trusted for almost five years?

And that wasn’t even her only concern. What were they going to do about Britta? About their friends? The one thing she feared from the beginning was that she would lose him. She went into the relationship knowing that she may get hurt in the end, but it took her a little while to realize that Jeff was just as capable of getting hurt himself. And usually when he got hurt, he ran. He closed himself off from so many people in his life. The fear of disappointing them was too much to handle, so he would avoid, avoid, avoid.

She’d seen him do it countless times. To his mother. To Britta and Slater at the Transfer Dance. The group. And now she feared he would do it to her.

But now it was the morning and Annie sighed as she tossed and turned in her sheets. She hadn’t left her bedroom all night besides for a trip to the bathroom. She herself was in avoidance mode, but it wasn’t out of fear. It was out of exhaustion. She didn’t think she had the energy to explain things to her roommates yet, and she was still kind of angry with everyone, even though most of the judgement came from Britta.

She looked at her silent and unmoving phone for the hundredth time that morning before she groaned and shoved it under her pillow. She didn’t want to be the girl waiting for her boyfriend to call, yet there she was. She was startled, however, when she heard a knock on the other side of her door.

“Annie? It’s me.”

She sighed. She really wasn’t up to talking, but she gave into Troy, because even when she was upset with him, she knew his heart was always in the right place. “Okay, you can come in.”

He walked in hesitantly, almost as if he was anticipating her chopping his head off. She rolled her eyes but scooted up her bed and made room for him. “Thanks,” he said, sitting on the edge.

She only nodded, not making eye contact. She wasn’t sure what to expect, but from his demeanor she didn’t think there would be any arguing.

“Annie, I’m _really_ sorry about last night. I didn’t mean to out Jeff like that. You know me, I just get nervous under pressure and everyone was yelling, and you know my emotions run extra high when our friends argue.”

She finally looked at him and gave him a sad smile. “It’s okay, Troy. I’m not even really mad about that.”

“You’re not?”

“No. I’m hurt that Jeff didn’t tell me about it.”

“Oh…” He said, mulling the information over in his mind. “If it makes you feel better, he didn’t tell me either. Abed only found out because he helped Jeff with that commercial. And he didn’t even really tell Abed. But you know how Abed is, he figures things out before anyone can even tell him what’s going on.”

Annie nodded, “I guess that does make it a little better…it’s just.” She looked up at Troy with her eyebrows raising in concern, “His law firm is failing. Why wouldn’t he confide in me? We’ve been together for…” She quickly regretted adding to the rest of that sentence, feeling guilty for acknowledging the secret they kept from their closest friends.

“For months?” Troy added, smiling sadly.

“Yeah…” She felt her eyes getting hot, knowing that her tears were seconds away from release. “Troy, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you and Abed. You guys are my roommates and I never want to lie to you. It was just easier than telling the truth because… I was scared of losing what I had with him.” She sniffed, letting a few tears escape.

“I get that,” he said earnestly. “Which is why Abed and I didn’t say anything.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well…we kind of figured it out sometime in June…”

“You knew!? How?”

“You were gone a lot, and we knew you guys hung out sometimes without us. He was your date to your coworker’s engagement party,” he added. Then ticking off his fingers, “There was the time we saw your car at his apartment when we went to the taco place on 3rd. And the time we saw both of your cars at Henley’s…”

“Okay, okay. I get it. But… If you knew, why didn’t you say anything?”

“Because we’re your roommates,” he shrugged simply. “And your best friends. We wanted to wait until you were ready to tell us.”

“Troy…” Annie leaned in give him a hug. “I love you guys. And I’m sorry I had to tell you this way.” She pulled out of the embrace. “We were going to tell everyone, I swear. We talked about it and everything.”

“It’s okay,” he smiled, bumping her shoulder. “And for the record, Abed and I are totally on board with you and Jeff. I mean, you guys are dope together.”

She laughed and wiped at her cheek.  “Thanks. You’re the only one who thinks so apparently.” In the next moment, her phone chimed, and she picked it up, hoping it was Jeff.

“Is that him?”

She sighed, shaking her head. “No. Just work.”

“Have you talked to him?”

“No…” Her eyes filled with more tears and she looked at him. “This is what I was afraid of. He’d get scared and, and…I’d lose him. I can’t lose him,” she sniffed. “I’m in love with him.” It was the first time she said it out loud. And the words hung heavily in the air and it made everything seem much more real than it had five minutes ago.

She felt Troy’s hand squeeze her shoulder, and she looked up at him with tearful eyes. “Just give him some time.” She smiled sadly and nodded at him. “But if you need us to, Abed and I will totally head over there and kick his ass.”

Despite herself, she laughed. “Thanks, Troy. And thank you for being so understanding. I’m really glad to have you and Abed in my life.”

Troy left the room with a smile and closed the door to give her more privacy. Talking to him was good and she felt measurably better about the situation. Although she was worried about Jeff and the fact that he hadn’t yet called, Troy was right. She would give Jeff some time. And she needed to clear her head, so she decided to drag herself out of bed and treat herself to a nice day. Work was bugging her on her day off and she settled on having a stress-free afternoon.

But of course, Annie would always be Annie, so if she didn’t hear from Jeff by that evening then she would take matters into her own hands. She wasn’t going to be the girl who waited around for her boyfriend, and she certainly wasn’t going to be the girl who let one conflict ruin her relationship.

She pulled on a floral dress, and her most comfortable pair of flipflops and decided to head over to the café down the street and treat herself to an iced vanilla latte and a book. Before she slipped out the door, however, she spotted Abed sitting in his recliner watching TV. She walked over and without saying a word, hugged him from behind and placed a kiss on his cheek.

She really was grateful for her roommates.

The biggest surprise of that afternoon wasn’t the fact that Troy and Abed knew about her relationship all along, or the fact that her job was emailing her on the weekend. It was the sight of Britta walking towards the apartment building just as Annie was leaving. She was the last person that she expected to see, especially after the fight they had.

“Annie?” She seemed just as surprised to see her, even though Annie was the one who actually lived there.

“Oh! Um. Hi.”

“Hey…Are you going somewhere?” Britta stood in front of her awkwardly, tightly gripping the strap of her faux leather purse.

She nodded.

“…To his place?”

Annie rolled her eyes. “No.”

She, relaxed slightly, though still smiled awkwardly. “Oh. Where are you going?”

“To get a latte and read a book.”

“Oh…Can I come?”

“Britta…”

“Please? I think we should talk.” Britta pleaded with her, and Annie decided that it was a rare sight to see Britta beg for something.

Annie sighed, shrugging, “Okay.”

“Cool,” Britta exhaled. “I’ll drive.”

Annie nodded and followed Britta towards her beat up car. It was a silent drive to the café, both awkward and filled with tension that you could cut with a knife. She was grateful for the fact that Britta didn’t attempt to fill the silence with empty conversation, especially because Annie didn’t really feel like talking in the first place. She was still upset with Britta and she was busy contemplating all of the ways this conversation would go. She decided it was probably a good thing that the café was only a ten minute walk from her apartment, just in case Britta left her stranded after having another argument.

They silently walked inside, immediately going in line to order their drinks. Annie, as planned, got her iced latte and picked a table beside the window. Britta followed soon after, carrying her cup of plain coffee in her hand.

They sat across from one another and the silence felt louder than the obnoxious radio playing the summer’s top hits.

But Annie wasn’t going to speak first, she wasn’t the one who wanted to meet up and talk. She could tell Britta was uncomfortable, but there wasn’t much they could do to fix the situation. It was either talk or sit in silence. But eventually when it became too much, Britta bit the bullet and began speaking.

“So…Last night.”

“Last night,” Annie nodded.

“We said somethings.”

“You said somethings.”

“Well, can you blame me Annie?”

Annie just stared at her, waiting. She didn’t know what more she could say. It was wrong of Britta to accuse Jeff of taking advantage of her. Of their relationship being less than legitimate.

“Okay, sorry,” She held up her hands. “I’m not here to yell at you.”

“Then why are you here?”

“Because. I feel bad about the way I handled things last night. And… I’m sorry.”

“Thank you for saying that,” she played with the lid of her coffee cup.

“Do you really think that I think the worst of you? And Jeff?” She sounded regretful, like she honestly had no idea she was capable.

Annie shrugged before answering. “You’ve never been the warmest towards us. Even when there was nothing going on.”

Once again getting defensive, she claimed, “Well, when we met him, he was a sleaze-ball! What else was I supposed to think?”

Annie sighed, “Maybe at first you were right in being ‘concerned,’” she put that last work in air quotes, “but haven’t you realized that he’s different now? He’s the guy who planned Abed a surprise birthday party. The guy who spent the night in Pierce’s hospital room when he was hurt. The guy who’s been a friend to you for the past four years. He’s a good man and he loves the group. He’s done so much for all of us.”

“He’s still a sarcastic ass a lot of the time,” she grumbled.

Annie looked at her flatly, “So that’s why my relationship with him is toxic?”

“I never said that!”

“You may as well have!” She sighed again, sounding defeated. “Is it…me? Are you angry with me? Are you not over him?”

Not it was Britta’s turn to stare at her flatly. “Annie come _on._ ”

“Well! I don’t know what to think!” She took a moment to collect herself before she spoke again. She wasn’t sure if it would be a sore subject, but she knew it needed to be said. “Both Jeff and I were supportive of you and Troy.”

“Annie—”

“We were. I stopped having feelings for Troy long before you got together with him. And I’m truly sorry that things didn’t work out between you two. But I guess I always hoped that you would do the same for me. If anything ever happened between me and Jeff.”

She seemed taken aback by Annie’s words. “I don’t know what to say. I guess I didn’t know you two felt that way about each other.”

“Britta. Come on. You’ve known how I’ve felt about Jeff. I’ve received enough eyerolls across the table to last me a lifetime.”

“Look, I know you’ve always had a crush on him, alright? But I thought it would pass. I didn’t think it was…it was real or anything.” She looked down at her coffee that was now probably going cold. “It’s weird, okay? I was _with_ him in a way and…I don’t know. I’m _not_ in love with him or anything. But maybe I’m…jealous that you were the one who was able to change him.”

“I didn’t change him. That’s the thing, Britta. I never wanted to change him. I had had feelings for him _before_ he became the person he his now…because in the moments when it was just the two of us, I could see the person that he was underneath it all.”

“So you think that’s why it didn’t work out with Troy? Because I tried to change him too?” She didn’t sound angry or accusatory, she was genuinely asking.

“No. No, I don’t think at all. You accepted Troy for who he was and I think that’s why you two worked at the time. But it was always different with you and Jeff. You just…were never happy with each other. Like…you couldn’t change yourself so you kept trying to change him…” She realized that what she said may have sounded borderline offensive, but she didn’t mean it to be.  “I don’t know, Britta, I’m just speaking from observation.”

“No, you’re right. I think…we’re too similar in a lot of ways. And I could have asked for something more from Jeff, but I didn’t want it,” she shrugged. “Plus, I think we’d probably kill each other if we were anything more than fuck buddies.” She smirked slightly before taking a deep breath. “And…I guess you’re right. Maybe I knew that you had more than a crush sometimes. But…god I hate myself for saying this… after everything with Vaughn, I guess it stung a little. To see another guy pick you over me.”

“Britta…It wasn’t like that.” She couldn’t help but reach over and grab her hand. “But I am sorry about Vaughn. I was young and eager, and he was the first guy—”

“Annie, you don’t have to explain yourself. It’s okay, really.”

She nodded. “I know, but…It’s different this time. With Jeff. And I really want…I _hope_ that you can understand that.”

“Different because you love him?” She asked knowingly.

All Annie could do was nod, but she wasn’t ashamed. It was the truth. However, she realized that this was the second person who she told, and neither one was Jeff. She didn’t want to wait anymore. To hell with waiting.

Britta smiled. She actually smiled. And Annie felt tears creep into the corners of her eyes. “I understand.”

“Thank you,” was all she could say in the moment. “So,” she said tentatively, “Does this mean you’re going to be okay with me and Jeff?”

Britta sighed and looked at her for a moment, before nodding. “I will be,” she said. “But if he does anything to screw you over, I’ll kill him.”

Annie laughed and nodded, feeling so much better about the situation. She hated fighting with Britta, especially when she realized that she spent a good amount of the past four years doing just that.

“Hey, Annie?”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks for being so cool about me and Troy.”

Annie smiled genuinely and nodded, patting Britta’s hand.

They spent the next hour, talking and finishing their drinks, and it felt nice. Like how spending time with a good friend should feel. They rarely got the chance to do this, and Annie was grateful for it, even if it started out as an awkward encounter. They didn’t really talk about Jeff anymore, except for when Britta brought up Shirley and Annie groaned, knowing she’d be so upset that she missed all the drama. And that she was one of the last to find out about the relationship.

No matter how often the two would butt heads, Annie decided that Britta was easy to talk to. They may be different in a lot of ways, but they were always friends first. And later, when Britta dropped Annie off, they hugged and shared a meaningful smile before they parted.

“Annie, wait!”

Annie turned to see Britta calling out to her from the open window of her car. She walked back, peering into the car, “Yeah?”

“How’d you do it?” It took Annie a moment to understand what Britta was referring to, but she smiled sheepishly when it clicked.

“I bought him a drink.”

Britta nodded, attempting to hold back a smile. Annie was relieved that she seemed to be amused, more than anything else. It was the moment Annie realized that they would be okay. Sure, it would take some getting used to for the both of them, but their friendship was too strong to let anything get in the way for long. If anything, she thought their talk that afternoon brought them closer.

She didn’t say anything else, but sent Annie a small wave as she drove away. Annie stood there, waving back until Britta’s car was no longer visible.

She turned towards her building, fully prepared to head back inside for a long and much needed nap. But something inside in her brain told her it could wait, and she found herself walking straight to her car, ready to have a long conversation with the person she needed to talk to the most.

 

 


	13. Unconditional

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeff and Annie talk.

 

The drive to his apartment went by quickly. Or maybe it didn’t because it was rush-hour and the intersection near his place was often busy on the weekends. But she couldn’t really remember what the drive was like because she spent most of it thinking about that she was going to say to him. She was worried, angry, and a little hurt.

He left her waiting and left her to deal with the mess all by herself. Granted, now that she made up with Britta and her roommates, the mess was now looking a whole less messy. But she still wished that he was by her side through it all. And despite the fact that she was angry with him, she was also worried. No matter how frustrated she was, she felt for him. Because he didn’t ask to be outed like that in front of his friends, and more importantly, his business had obviously been struggling to stay afloat for a while.

She knew he was home because his car was there and his lights were on from the window. She had no idea what he could have possibly been doing all day. She hoped it wasn’t drinking. She needed him to have a clear mind. However, when she finally made her way inside and knocked on his door, she was surprised at how quickly he answered.

He stood there, wearing jeans and a rumpled t-shirt, with a shocked expression on his face.

“Annie.”

“Are you hurt?”

“No.”

“Did you lose your phone?”

“No.”

“Your hands stop working?”

“Annie, what—”

“Did they?”

“No, but I—”

“Then why didn’t you call me?”

He sighed, closing his eyes. She waited. When he opened them, she could see how tired he looked. Like he hadn’t gotten any sleep. She knew the look because it was one she’d seen him wear before. Then, she didn’t think anything of it, because he claimed he was just overworking himself. But now she was beginning to realize that there was always more going on than he ever let on.

“Do you wanna come inside?” He asked, opening the door wider for her to enter.

She nodded and walked past him, standing in the middle of the entry way. He closed the door without saying another word and she watched as he scratched the back of his head in discomfort. She waited for him to speak.

“Let’s sit down.” He nodded towards his couch, barely making eye contact with her. She didn’t know why it was suddenly so hard for him to talk to her. It was never like this, even before they got together this summer, he always opened up to her.

“Why didn’t you call me?” She asked again. He was avoiding her eyes and staring blankly at the floor. “Jeff?”

After another moment of silence, he finally spoke. “I tried to, Annie,” he began. “I really did. But every time I picked up my phone, I didn’t know what to say.”

“I don’t understand.”

“It was shitty of me and I’m sorry,” he finally looked at her.

Now she was at a loss for words. When did Jeff Winger not know what to say? It was unheard of. “Thank you for saying that. But I’m here now. So talk to me.”

“Um. How is everything at your place?” Well, it was a start.

“I talked it over with Troy and we’re good. And he’s sorry for…you know.”

Jeff laughed self-deprecatingly.

She sighed but continued anyway, “And I talked to Britta. Well, she wanted to talk to me.”

He looked up at her surprised, “Does she still want to push me off a cliff?”

Annie laughed lightly, despite herself, and shook her head. “No. It was a good talk. And she apologized.”

“Wow,” he nodded. “I find that hard to believe.”

“Well, she did.”

“I guess now it’s my turn, huh?” He was close enough that he reached over and took her hand, which was a good sign. If he was touching her then he was letting her in.

“I’m not mad at you, Jeff. I’m annoyed that you kept me waiting for a phone call that never came, but that’s not what’s important.” She made sure that he was looking at her for this next part. “I’m hurt that you didn’t tell me the truth about everything.” She watched as he remained silent for a moment, rubbing his thumb over her nails. It was a nervous habit he obtained whenever he was left without his phone.

“I just couldn’t. I…” He finally looked up at her. “…was embarrassed.”

“Jeff…”

“I had two shots at this, Annie, and I failed both times. Do you know how degrading that is? I was given a second chance to do something I loved, the right way this time, and I couldn’t even do that. And then I look at you, and you have your life together and you’re only twenty-two!”

“I really don’t…”

“And I’ve been spinning out because I have no fucking clue what I’m going to do which is ridiculous because I’m gonna be forty in a few months and I can’t even keep my life on track for a full year!”

“Jeff…”

“And this summer was shitty, but you were the only good thing. So I wanted to keep you separate from everything else. I wanted to compartmentalize.”

Her heart fluttered at _you were the only good thing_. “Compartmentalize?”

He laughed sadly, finally entwining their fingers so their palms her pressed together. “Never really seems to work, does it?”

“Jeff, look at me.” He did. “You have nothing to be embarrassed about. You think I have my life together? I spend every day wishing I was at a different job! Every weekend, I argue with my roommates about the proper way to load the dishwasher! I’m twenty-two and I’m barely keeping it together half the time. But you, you don’t have to worry about what comes next. You have a support system, a family who loves you. And me. You have me.”

He shrugged, a blush covering his cheeks. It was really hard for him to talk about this, but she continued, hoping it would help calm him.

“You know I would never think of you as a failure. I could have, I don’t know, helped you figure something out maybe!” He didn’t say anything so she continued. “I thought you knew you could talk to me.”

He looked at her alarmed, and she felt the pit in her stomach begin to grow. Why was he giving her so many mixed signals?

“Have we just been playing pretend?” Her voice sounded so small. “And now that everyone knows, you don’t want to…” She began to pull her hand away, soon feeling nauseous at the idea.

Thankfully, he didn’t let go and trapped her hand between both of his. “God, Annie, no! Of course not. Why would you even think that?”

She could feel the tears in her eyes, “Well! Why have you been shutting me out?”

“I don’t know. I’m sorry I don’t have an answer for you, but…” _Relationships are complicated_. “A lot of times my mind is a fucked up place.” He took a deep breath and spoke his next words slowly. “I’ve screwed up a lot in my life. And every time, I get the same feeling in my chest and I hate it. And last night gave me that feeling. Seeing your face when you found out, I panicked. Because it should have been me who told you, and every day that I didn’t made the feeling so much worse. But I didn’t do anything about it. I don’t know if you’ve met me, but I rely on self-destructive behaviors pretty regularly.”

“But you know me,” she stressed. “I’ve always been someone you could talk to. Even before we started having sex.”

“I thought I would lose you. I was putting off the inevitable.”

The tears were back in her eyes, letting one fall. “That’s absurd.”

“I know.”

“Do you still think you’re going to lose me?”

He looked at her, really looked at her. And after a moment, he murmured a soft, “No.”

She caressed the side of his face. “Good,” she said before wrapping him into a hug. “Because you’re not.” She felt the tension leave his shoulders, her own body sagging with relief when his arms wrapped around her in a tender hug. She felt like she belonged there, right in his arms.

She turned her head as best she could in their tight embrace to press a kiss beside his ear, catching his warm skin and a hint of stubble against her lips. He turned his head to meet her, pressing their foreheads together. They were so close that their vision was blurry, but she focused on his lips, making it hard to mistake the next words to come out of his mouth.

“I love you.”

He couldn’t see it, but her brow scrunched up, allowing her emotions to take over. His voice was so soft, but so sure, like it was the easiest thing he’d ever said. But she knew it wasn’t, she knew how difficult it was for him to give so much of himself, after a history of heartbreak and abandonment. She let more tears fall, realizing just how long she waited for this moment, and just how much it meant to her.

“I love you too,” she whispered.

“I’m sorry. For everything,” he said softly.

“Don’t be sorry. It’s all okay. Everything is going to be okay.” And she meant it. Their relationship. His career. It would all be okay because they were in this together, just like they always had been.

She pulled out of the hug, but remained close, not wanting to leave his arms. It wasn’t even an entire day that passed, but she missed the feeling of him. This morning she was convinced that she may never have this with him again. They watched each other and she smiled softly at him, appreciating his closeness and his vulnerability. He then scooted back against the corner of the couch, taking her with him. She fell easily against him and let her head rest on his shoulder as he kept his arms around her.

“Your mind is a beautiful place,” she murmured, remembering what he said only a few minutes ago. She hated that he thought so little of himself, despite having a history of displaying such a huge ego. Over the years of knowing him, it became more obvious that it was all for show. A defense mechanism. His arms tightened around her. They stayed like that for a while, in his silent apartment. Her fingers combed through the hair at his temple, relaxing him until his eyes closed. “You know,” she began. “Last night, I wanted to tell you…”

“Tell me what?” He murmured, once again looking at her.

“That I love you.”

His expression seemed as if he melted, like her admission meant the world to him. Instead of using his words, he slowly leaned in to give her the softest kiss she ever received. They held it for a long moment. Once he pulled away and kept his eyes on her, she felt a sense of urgency, causing her to slide her hand over his cheek and press her lips against him harder.

How could he ever think he’d lose her?

He kissed her back, so deeply that Annie felt dizzy. His hands pulled her over him until she was on top of him. His hand worked its way into her hair to keep her in place, his other gripped the fabric of her dress so tightly that she thought it might rip. Not that she would have minded because this kiss…it was the only place she wanted to be.

It was like he was trying to tell her everything she needed to know in that one kiss, everything he had ever felt for her.

When they pulled apart for air, his lips were pink and glistening and his cheeks contained a light flush. He panted against her mouth with no plan to let her go. His nose nudged against hers, and she couldn’t take it anymore. She needed to be closer, she needed him more than she ever had.

Because the truth was, he needed her too.

“Jeff,” she whispered. “Make love to me.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, he swooped into to kiss her again, stealing her breath just as he did before. This time, however, he was hungrier, more frantic, like her words drove him mad. He kissed along her jaw, down her neck and to her shoulder, where he nosed the strap of her dress away. She gasped at the feel of his lips on her skin, every single nerve ending in her body awake and asking for more. Her nails scraped along his back, the soft material of his t-shirt in the way of his hot skin. But it didn’t really matter, because the heat was radiating through his clothes, making her feel like she was on fire.

He sighed into her cleavage, which was barely covered now that he tugged down the material to get access to her tops of her breasts and the lace of her bra. Her skin was glowing with stubble burn but she didn’t mind, her only thought was how much she wanted him insider her. His hands slid under the hem of her dress and found purchase at the tops of her thighs, his thumbs skimming the crease at her hips.

That was about all she could take before she reached down to unbutton his jeans and wrap her hand around him. The movement caught him off guard, he nearly collapsed over her at the feeling. He panted beside her ear and she took the moment to nip at his pulse point. His fingers pressed into her skin and pulled her more firmly against him.

“I need you inside me,” she whispered, pulling him out the same time she reached under her hem and pushed aside her underwear.

“Annie…god…I need you, too.”

As she finally took him inside, she moaned, “I know.”

And then everything seemed to slow. She moved over him slowly, using his shoulders for leverage. Their movements were no longer frantic, now they were taking the time to just feel. His hands remained on her hips, guiding her movements. For the moment they watched each other with heavy lidded eyes. She leaned in to capture his lips, kissing him tenderly. When they pulled away, they pressed their foreheads together and watched each other. They were never shy when it came to eye contact, but in that moment, it unraveled her more than ever before.

She kissed him again and she sighed into his mouth as she came.

It made sense that the night led them to this particular moment. The entire summer was spent together like this. It was easy to explore their physical relationship, and slowly, it became more obvious that the emotion was there too. And when there was emotion involved, the sex wasn’t about pleasure. It was about being together in the most vulnerable state and still wanting each other no matter what.

After, they were both wrung out, exhausted from the emotional toll of the past two days, and sated from the sex they had. He finally carried her to his bed, where they stripped their disheveled clothing and spent the rest of the night laying together. It was the closest she’d ever felt to him.

They let a comfortable silence take over the room. They shared a sweet kiss as they settled in, and it wasn’t until a few minutes later that Annie spoke again. They watched each other across the small space between them, their hands met in the middle. She looked into his eyes and saw many things, but most of all, she saw a tenderness that revealed so much of how he felt about her. She hoped he could see that she reflected it back.

“Jeff?”

“Hm?”

“You’re my person.”

She watched as he silently recalled that night curled up together on his couch. When he made her dinner and they spent the rest of the evening watching Mulder and Scully on his television screen. The memory of what she originally said about two fictional characters on television flooded back into his mind, and for the first time she realized that what they shared was what she always dreamed of having. A person to love her and care for her despite all the crazy and difficult things in her life. And she knew that if she was out in the world trying to convince people that aliens and the supernatural truly did exist, Jeff would be right by her side yelling through a megaphone convincing twice as many people.

Her words meant just as much to him, because in the next moment, he pulled him self closer until there was no space between them and wrapped his arms around her, kissing her cheek, and then her jaw, his face settling against her neck.

“And you’re mine.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is "make love to me" perhaps the cheesiest thing to include in a love story? Maybe, but I wasn't about to pass up the opportunity ;)


	14. Opportunity

 

The next few days seemed to flow naturally. Now that the group knew about their relationship (yes, even Shirley), they soon realized that openly being together was just as exciting (if not more) as being together in secret. Especially because they could now hold hands in front of whoever they wanted, go on dates in broad daylight, and just act like a normal couple. Annie also liked the fact that she could kiss him whenever she felt the need without worrying about who might see.

Of course, when they told Shirley, it was over a cup of coffee and pastry (so there wouldn’t be a repeat of the dreaded night when Britta found out). Both Jeff and Annie were present during the meeting, and though Shirley was upset that she was kept out of the loop for so long, and you know, for the lying, she took it better than they both expected. However, once Annie got up to refill their drinks, she heard Shirley threaten poor Jeff, pointing a finger at him, “You treat that girl right, Jeffrey, because both the Lord and I are watching!” Annie wasn’t even that angry about it, because Shirley did the same to her when Jeff got up to use the restroom, “You be sure to take care of that man’s fragile heart. He sure as hell needs it!”

So yeah, not much had changed after the secret was out, and nothing between them had felt icky or strained since they admitted their love for one another. It felt better, honestly, now that it was said out loud, because it was kept bottled up far too long. But Annie was conscious that it was still a New Thing, and they were both careful not to overdo it. So it was about a week before the words were shared again.

It was completely unexpected and out of the blue. It meant the world to her.

They weren’t even talking about anything that serious, or in a middle of a moment of passion. They were in his kitchen putting away groceries. She insisted on cooking dinner for him that evening, because he had proven to be quite the chef many times over the summer. He readily agreed, grinning wide when she made the plans with him, absolutely loving the fact that she had been wanting to do this for a while.

“Okay,” he grinned. “I take it that you’ll be using my kitchen.”

“If that’s okay! I’m not really planning this night for my roommates…”

He chuckled, “Of course it is. I actually have to do my grocery shopping for the week, would you like to join me?”

“Okay,” she grinned.

And that was how they spent their Saturday afternoon. It was endearing to watch Jeff Winger in his element, reading labels and paying attention to nutritional facts. Her meal was a surprise, so she wouldn’t let him look at her shopping list whatsoever. He laughed every time she took a peek and then quickly stuffed it into her pocket. By the time they got back to his apartment, it was about time for Annie to begin preparing the meal, so she not-at-all-subtly pushed her grocery bags to the side while Jeff placed some vegetables in his fridge.

She took out her laptop and pulled up the recipe for chicken piccotta (low carb, and the perfect way to show that she had some cooking skills). He swiftly walked behind her, placing his chin on her shoulder.

“Can I see?”

She gasped, quickly closing her laptop, “No! It’s a surprise.”

He snorted, wrapping his arms around her from behind. “Can I at least help you with something?”

“No, I want to do this. Why don’t you go watch TV or something? Or go play that video game you and Troy were nerding out over yesterday.”

He sighed and she felt his arms tighten around her before he let go. “Fine… Let me know if you need anything.” He let go and began walking backwards out of the kitchen. “Or you know, if you can’t reach anything on the top shelf,” he grinned as she gasped.

“Jerk!”

He was gone for a total of three minutes, returning to get himself a glass of water. She squinted at him and all he could do was laugh, but she didn’t mind because she did too. Before leaving the kitchen however, he placed a glass next to her. After she looked up and thanked him, he stared at her for a moment before giving her a tender kiss and murmuring a soft, “I love you.”

If she wasn’t so caught off guard, she probably would have began grinning as soon as the words left his mouth. But once she remembered how to speak, she said it right back, her heart feeling too large for her chest. “I love you too,” she said, smiling softly.

The way he smiled, relieved, made her heart lurch, and she wanted nothing more than to drag him to his bedroom and show him just how much she loved him. But there was time for that later. Now, she had to cook him a special dinner and perhaps show her love in a different way.

He walked out of the kitchen with a smile on his face, matching her own. Her heart was beating fast and her throat felt dry. Even though she knew she loved him for a while, and they revealed these feelings only a week ago, the words felt new and she didn’t think she’d ever get used to hearing Jeff Winger profess his love for her.

\---

Though that night was a success and he loved the meal, and he showed her how much he loved it (the woman who made it) later that night, it wasn’t always sunshine and rainbows. But that was how all relationships worked, so it wasn’t a surprise that a few days later that they had an argument.

She didn’t mean to upset him, she was only trying to help him! But she supposed it was a sore subject, especially after everything he shared with her the night she showed up at his door, confused and hurt that he never informed her of is failing firm.

He mentioned it offhandedly, really to make a joke about it, the fact that the dean heard word of his firm tanking, so he offered him a teaching job at Greendale until he got back on his feet. He laughed and shook his head when he told her, like it was the most absurd notion in the entire world. Except Annie wasn’t laughing.

“I think that’s a great idea, Jeff!”

He looked at her confused, still smiling, “What?”

“You should teach! Oh, Jeff, you’d be so good at it!”

The smile dropped slowly from his face. “You think I should _teach_ at _Greendale_?” She nodded excitedly. “You’re joking…”

“Of course not.” She nudged closer to him where they were sitting on his couch. “This is a great opportunity. You have an education degree, you know about law, and you’re so good at captivating a room with your words. This can be the next step before you get back into the swing of things!”

“Annie. I’m not becoming a teacher and I’m not going back to that school,” his voice was firm, almost angry. He got up from the couch and went to the fridge, forcefully pulling the door open and taking out a bottle of water.

“Well what are you going to do then?”

“I don’t know yet,” he took a swig.

She sighed, frustrated that he couldn’t see how great of an idea this was. It was perfect! He could teach for a while and then try starting his own firm again! Maybe next time with a partner or someone to help him work out the business aspects. She walked over to his counter and leaned forward onto her elbows. “I just think this would be good for you.”

“Good for me?” He practically scoffed. He put down his water and leaned across from her. “Annie. I was a lawyer. I lost everything I had. And then I was forced to go to that school-shaped toilet for four years, just so I could become a lawyer again. There is no way in hell I’m going back there.”

“Why is it such a bad thing? I’ve been thinking about it and I think I want to re-enroll myself! You know how I feel about my current job. I think I want to go back and get my forensics degree. To hell with hospital administration!”

He sighed, “Well that’s fine for you. You’re young. You have time to redo this. I don’t.”

“But that’s not true! It’s never too late to—”

“Christ, Annie. Not this crap. Seriously, I don’t need this right now.”

“But—”

“No!”

“Jeff—”

“Do you know why I didn’t visit you? Why I haven’t been back there since I left?” He was practically yelling at this point. “Because that place reminds me of how much of a screw up I am. And there is nothing in this goddamn world that will change that!” After he spoke his last word, he gulped and kept her gaze for a moment before zipping out of the kitchen and into his bedroom.

She stared at the now empty space in front of her with a shocked expression. She had no idea that was how he felt. About everything. About himself. She knew he was self-conscious about his firm, but she had no idea he was so torn up about his past. It broke her heart to think that he still hadn’t been able to look past his mistakes and acknowledge that he’d grown from them.

She gave him some time to sit by himself before going to talk to him. She wasn’t upset that he got angry because deep down, she knew it wasn’t because of her. He was frustrated with his life at the moment and he had every right to be.

After an agonizing and quiet fifteen minutes, she headed towards his bedroom. The door was left slightly ajar, and she took note that even though he was upset, he didn’t slam it closed. When he came into view, she gently knocked and watched as he looked up from his seat at the edge of his bed. He was sitting there with his hands clasped, staring at the floor. He seemed to be deep in thought, but she didn’t think he would mind the interruption.

As she made her way into his room, he nervously wiped his palms over his jeans, like he was unsure of what she was going to do or say to him. He probably expected her to yell at him right back. She had a feeling he would have sat there and let her do it.

But instead, she stood close in front of him and trailed her hands up his arms in a soothing gesture. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. Because yeah, she shouldn’t have pushed, but when she was passionate about an idea, she just couldn’t help herself. And he knew that too.

He didn’t say anything, but as she stood between his legs, he ran his hands over her back and her arms. They were warm, safe. He silently accepted her apology. He looked up at her like he needed an answer, comfort. Their future fell at the hands of Greendale once again, but this time he wouldn’t have to go back alone.

She pushed her hands through his hair, because it was something that she learned he loved. When his eyes closed at the feeling, she saw the tension leave his shoulders and felt his fingers pull the fabric of her cardigan. He wasn’t verbalizing what he wanted so she took an educated guess and moved forward to straddle his lap.

It was when he was the most vulnerable that he craved intimacy, but not the kind that was sloppy and quick and left them falling apart to catch their breaths. In the months of being with him, she recognized that he craved the feeling of their bodies pressed hot against each other, the feel of her hands glued to his skin, the kinds of kisses that stole his breath away.

His fingers plucked at the buttons of her cardigan slowly, until her arms were free to slip through the sleeves. He wouldn’t look at her, and she feared that he was embarrassed at his outburst. The fact that he revealed he felt like a failure. Again. He was anything but.

She cradled his jaw in attempt for eye contact, but when his eyes remained at her lips, she gave in and pressed them to his. The way he kissed back was relenting, his hands pressing against her back to keep her close.

She wasn’t going anywhere.

When she pulled away for air, his mouth found the top of her breasts above the low-cut neckline of her tank top. His stubble left little red patches wherever he lingered. He still wouldn’t look at her, so she decided it was best to just move things along. To get him to feel at least something. Her fingers gripped the hem of her top and pulled it over her head so his hands were hot on her skin. He made no move to remove her bra, so she took care of it, tossing it somewhere on the floor behind her. She kissed him deeply then, trying to speak without words.

It was then that he quickly and unexpectedly flipped her so she was lying flat on her back and he was looming over her nibbling into her neck. She snaked her hands beneath his t-shirt, feeling his muscles relax at her touch.

“Jeff,” she whispered. “Jeff…look at me.”

He stopped his movements and let out a shaky breath against her neck. It took him a moment, but he finally did as she asked and pulled away to meet her gaze. What she saw was wistfulness, regret.

She stroked his cheek with her thumb. “I love you,” she said.

He closed his eyes and leaned into her touch. “I love you too.” It was the first thing he said since he stormed away from her. “I’m sorry I yelled,” he whispered. “It wasn’t because of you…It’s because…” His voice tapered off, like it would physically pain him to have to say it out loud.

“I know, it’s okay.”

“It’s not.”

“It is,” she said again, hoping he would finally believe her.

He dipped lower to gently nudge his nose against hers. “Just promise me,” he whispered, “that I won’t be doing this alone. I can’t do this…I don’t think I can—”

“I promise.” He nodded at her words, barely. She could feel his heart pounding against her even though they weren’t doing a whole lot of moving.

He looked at her for a long moment, like his mind was going through a thousand and one things to say to her. To lament over the current situation of his life. But instead he just said, “Okay.”

She leaned up to kiss him, and he reciprocated, getting back to their previous activity. She knew he didn’t want to talk any longer so she attempted to make him feel better the way she knew best. However, when her hands began to pull at his shirt, he pulled away from her lips.

“Hey,” he whispered. “We don’t have to.”

She was surprised, because there had never been a time when he refused sex. “But you’re upset. I want to feel close to you.”

His features softened and he kissed her nose. “We don’t have to do this every time I’m upset. I think…we should keep it separate, okay?” She only nodded in response but understood. He was right. They shouldn’t associate fighting or negative emotions with sex. “Let’s just,” he said as he moved to her side, “lay together. Is that okay?”

She smiled softly at him and nodded, pressing herself against him. He then tugged the sheet up and wrapped it around her shoulders before locking his arms around her. They watched each other in silence. This was better, she thought. They needed to take the time to be present.

“I promise this will be the last thing I say about it,” she whispered, stroking her fingers through his hair. “This isn’t the end of the line for you, for either of us. It will be temporary. Teach for a while and when you’re ready, try again.”

He sighed without moving, “This was me trying again, Annie.”

“Then you try _again_.”

He was silent for a long moment. “Okay.”

 

 


	15. Excitement

 

She woke up earlier than usual that morning. It felt like her anxious nerves were doing somersaults inside her stomach. She looked outside and it was still dark, but she knew there was no way she’d be getting back to sleep. Instead of attempting to close her eyes and drift to sleep, she looked at her phone and read her text conversation with Jeff from the night before.

_I had nice time at dinner tonight :)_

_Me too. Next time we should try the thai place on waterman st._

_Oooh! Yes, let’s do it!_

_Sounds like a plan_

_Absolutely :) I should get to bed though, it’s getting late_

_I still wish u stayed over_

_I have an early morning!_

_Ugh fine_

_Sorry :(_

_It’s ok. Have a goodnight <3_

_Night <3 Love you._

_Love you too_

She felt herself grinning wide. Things had been going well, even after the mini fight they had earlier in the week. They talked it out and she felt as though Jeff was in a better place to think about the Dean’s offer. And she had time to think too, which was why today was going to be an important day for her.

Knowing that sleep wasn’t in her future, she put her phone down and decided to get ready for work. By the time the sun came up, she was already showered and dressed for the day, munching on a bowl of cereal just as Abed stumbled out of his blanket fort.

She smiled at him and internally giggled at his bedhead. “Morning, Abed.”

“You’re up early,” he stated, pulling down a box of Fruity Pebbles from the top of the fridge.

“Yeah, I know. I woke up and couldn’t get back to sleep.” She wasn’t completely lying, but she didn’t reveal the real reason why her nerves were causing a lack of sleep.

It was the day she was officially quitting her job. It wasn’t that she wanted to keep it a secret, it was just that she didn’t want anyone to give her second thoughts or attempt to change her mind.

She hadn’t even told Jeff.

“You’re up early too,” she added, looking towards Troy’s bedroom door where he was still sound asleep.

“Sometimes I like to get up early because the internet is at it’s optimal speed. I’ve been developing an app and I can get the most work done before seven.”

“What’s the app?”

“Not allowed to say. Troy and I have a confidentiality agreement regarding the product.”

“Oh…kay! Well, good luck!” She began to clear her dishes and load them into the dishwasher.

“Will you be home later?” He asked before taking a spoonful of cereal.

“Not for dinner, I’m spending the night at Jeff’s.”

Abed suddenly had a gleam in his eye, nodding with his bowl in hand. “Classic established relationship trope. Shippers will be pleased.”

“Abed.”

“But will the audience grow tired of the same story? How much longer can this season really go on?”

“I’m leaving now!”

“Should we give things a finale vibe?” He called out to her just before she slammed the door.

\---

She walked out of her boss’ office feeling like she had a new-found sense of purpose. No longer would she be sitting in a cubical, making phone calls to hospitals and companies persuading them to buy non-descript pharmaceuticals. No longer did she have to wheel around a case full of pens and mugs and pamphlets, wishing she was doing something more with her life.

Now, she felt like she had purpose again. There never had been a time in her life when she didn’t have a plan or goal. When she was a child, she pushed herself to read as many books as possible, more than any of her classmates. When she was a teenager, she immersed herself in school, and settled for nothing less than the best. It was expected from herself, her teachers, and of course her mother.

It clearly didn’t do her any good in the long run. But when she was in rehab, she pushed herself to recover quickly and effectively. And then, she found herself at Greendale, where she found herself in the center of academia again. This time with whacky adventures and a group of people she now calls her family.

She felt accomplished graduating and she prided herself on all the accomplishments she made during her time there. And when she got the job at Futurza, it seemed like everything was falling into place. Like it was her purpose to be the best and brightest at the company had ever seen.

She first thought it was the gateway to hospital administration, but she no longer felt that was a world in which she would be happy anymore. Slowly, the excitement diminished and that feeling of purpose slowly faded away. She didn’t feel as though she was challenging herself, and it wasn’t what she was passionate about anymore. And sure, the people didn’t help. Especially since she had to often work closely with Annie Milstein, who made every day seem longer and cloudy.

At first, Annie’s competitiveness flared, and she felt the inherent need to be better than the woman. It was in her nature. But as the months went on, she began to feel sorry for her more than anything else. Not only did she have a nasty personality, but Other Annie spent so much of her time trying to be better than everyone in the room. It was exhausting and it wasn’t who Annie wanted to surround herself with.

Of course, her summer felt measurably brighter as she and Jeff grew closer and more affectionate. And learning of Jeff’s own troubles helped her make the decision to leave her job and start fresh. Though he was hesitant, she knew this would be something they could do together. It would be easier that way, and they would be each other’s support systems, just as they always had been.

She smiled at the thought, and as she took her seat in the cubical that she shared with Other Annie, the woman watched her suspiciously.

“What are you smiling about?” Other Annie asked curtly, and Annie knew it was because they were all still waiting to hear the news about the promotion that she rattled on about a few weeks prior.

Annie looked at the other woman with a pleasant smile, there was nothing that could ruin her mood. And the thought of soon being rid of Other Annie and the company kept her spirits high. She decided the best option was to be honest, especially because she was excited to announce her plans. “I just put in my two week’s notice.” Annie pulled out her planner and lined up her purple pens for the day.

She wished she had a camera so she could take a photo of Annie Milstein’s face. It was probably the last thing she expected, and she was so caught off guard that she didn’t give herself the chance to rejoice at the thought of being one step closer to the promotion.

“Wh-what? Why would you do that?”

Annie shrugged, “I decided that this job isn’t for me. I’m bored with it.”

“Well what do you expect to do now?” She was appalled.

“I’m going back to school,” she sighed happily.

Other Annie practically scoffed and looked her up and down.

“Oh, that reminds me!” Annie turned to her and smiled. “Good luck with the promotion. I really hope you get it.” Whether it was fake sincerity or not, Annie honestly felt relieved at the thought. And she kind of loved the fact that it confused the hell out of Other Annie.

Without saying another word, she started her work for the day, ignoring the fact that Annie Milstein’s eyes were boring into the side of her head.

This was a good day.

\---

She asked Jeff to meet her for lunch at the diner around the corner from his apartment. She wanted him to be the first important person that she told.

She arrived at the diner a litter earlier than planned so she could fill out the online application form to re-enroll at Greendale. She hadn’t told Jeff her plan, that she was putting in her two weeks’ notice that morning. Even though it was what she firmly wanted to do, she still felt a bit anxious about telling him.

When he arrived at the diner, he was wearing one of his most comfortable but still stylish t-shirts, jeans, and his denim jacket. She almost forgot that he wouldn’t be coming from his office in a suit, since he officially shut down business at the end of last week. He was officially a free man, for another two weeks or so until classes began at least. Then he would be Teacher Jeff.

She had a feeling he’d pull off the look well.

When he found her already sitting in a booth, he smiled instantly. She was proud of herself for being one of the few people that seemed to soften him up on the spot. She waved him over and when he reached the booth, he leaned over to give her a quick peck before taking the seat across from her.

“Hey.”

“Hi.”

Whether she would admit this to him or not, having him there with her immediately centered her, and all of the anxious nerves rattling around instantly dissipated.

“How was your morning?” She asked as she closed her laptop and pushed it to the side.

“Well I woke up in an empty bed, so I’d say it was pretty lonely.” He was teasing her but there was truth to his words. She recalled the way he kept asking if she was _sure_ she didn’t want to stay? He even tried to bribe her with breakfast in bed but it didn’t work. A small part of her knew the reason was because it was his first Monday out of work and he wanted a distraction.

She let out a small laugh and gently kicked him under the table. “I told you, I had to be at work early today.” She took a breath before continuing, “That’s part of the reason why I wanted you to meet me for lunch.”

His expression instantly turned curious, “What’s going on? Everything okay?”

“I quit my job this morning.”

His eyes grew large as he arched his eyebrows, clearly taken aback by the news. “Wow. Um…That’s huge.”

She nodded, feeling the courage to smile about it. “I know. It felt great. I still have two weeks left because I gave them notice. I wouldn’t leave without giving them time to fill my position,” she said batting her hand.

Jeff still seemed concerned and she was confused as to why. Why wasn’t he happy about this? She was feeling ecstatic!

“Annie, are you sure about this?”

“Of course, I am. I told you, it’s not what I want anymore. I want to go back to Greendale for my forensics degree.”

He seemed to relax more now that she said that, nodding at her words. “I just,” he looked at her and placed his hand over hers on the tabletop. “I don’t want you to do this for me. I know I said I didn’t want to go back alone, but I was being stupid. You don’t have to settle at Greendale for me.”

She smiled appreciatively at his words, and at the hand that was still covering hers. “I know that, Jeff. But that’s where I’m choosing to go. I know the school, it’s in my budget, and the Dean told me I can work as a teacher’s assistant.” She smirked before saying, “You being there? A bonus.”

He laughed at that, biting his lip so he didn’t grin too wide. “Alright then. We’re doing this.”

“We are doing this.”

“You’re incredible.”

“Stop…”

“So tell me, how did Bitchy Annie take the news?”

“Jeff!”

“Sorry,” he corrected himself. “How did the Devil Reincarnated take the news?”

She laughed loudly, probably too loud for a crowded diner in the middle of the day, but she was feeling good and she was just so pleased with herself and her boyfriend too. She then dove into the story, describing everything from walking into her boss’ office to Annie Milstein’s face when she found out the news.

Jeff hung on to every word, laughing along with her. Even when their food arrived, it felt like they were in their own little bubble. She supposed that was how it had been the entire summer, when no one knew that her nights were spent curled up in Jeff Winger’s sheets, a world that was just for the two of them. But even now that it was known by just about everyone in their little community, nothing had changed because he still looked at her like she was his world, and she still felt nothing but love for him.

Even when he stole a French fry from her plate without asking, or when he teased her for ordering a slice of celebratory cherry pie. But she especially felt it after, when he walked her to her car and held her in his arms for a little longer than usual.

And she most definitely, without an absolute doubt felt it later, when they were in his bed and his soft whispers unraveled her as he moved inside her, just as they always had.

 

 


	16. Wistful

 

It was about a week later when she woke up in his arms, which had become a very common occurrence since they made their relationship public. Of course, she couldn’t really say that was the only reason, because it happened often enough when their relationship was a secret too. But this morning was an important morning, because it was the day that they were going to tell the rest of the group that they were going back to Greendale.

After Jeff opened up to her about his misgivings about the entire situation, she tried to be as supportive of him as possible. And she tried to show him that the decision was the best option at the moment, for the both of them really. He felt better when she told him that he wouldn’t be going back alone, and the decision became even more final when she quit her job at Futurza.

It was liberating, and she felt as though it was the best decision for herself, and she was giddy with the possibilities of what the world of forensic science could offer. No more Annie Milstein, no more sitting at a desk, no more administering useless products to hospitals that had no interest in what she was selling. She was ready for the next step. A step that she would be taking hand in hand with Jeff.

She felt as though the group would be supportive of the both of them, so she wasn’t really worried about their reactions. Jeff, however, was more embarrassed about it than he let on, and she knew he was dreading telling the group. He spent so much of the past four years trying to get out of the place, only to go crawling back with a tail between his legs (his words, not hers).

But to make the day even more stressful for him, it was also the morning they were heading to his office to pack up his things and turn in his keys. She felt for him, and she promised she’d go with him to make it hurt a little less (her words, not his). He already filed the paperwork and took care of the logistics, but today was the day to box up his things and say a final goodbye to the thing he worked so hard for.

She sighed to herself, wishing there was something they could have done to prevent the turn of events. She gently combed her fingers through the short hairs at his temple as he slept, waiting for him to stir awake. He looked so peaceful, so she decided to let him sleep for a while longer. She loved watching him in the morning because it was when he was the most unguarded, and often times, the most affectionate.

She didn’t mind sleeping in because they had the entire afternoon before they had to go to Shirley’s anyway. It was the last group dinner of the summer, and just so happened to be the most opportune time to update them on new developments.

Wanting to turn her mind off for a little while longer, she snuggled into his chest and closed her eyes. He was so warm and cuddly, and they both learned that she fit against him perfectly, like she belonged there. It was only a few minutes later that Jeff stirred awake though, stretching his legs and making an adorable sleepy sound as he did so. She moved back to give him room and gaze at him. His eyes focused on hers and he smiled.

Rubbing his eyes, he rasped out a soft good morning and fell back to his pillow.

“Morning, sleepy head,” she rubbed her hand over his chest. He liked when she did that (and any reason to touch his chest was okay with Annie).

“Time is it?”

“Just after nine-thirty.”

“Mmm. Let’s stay in bed today,” he peeked at her with one eye.

“You know we can’t. We have to go to Shirley’s later.”

He grunted.

“And we have to do that other thing…”

He made another sound of distress and pushed his face into his pillow. “Even more reason to stay in bed.”

Annie sat up, moving to rub his shoulders. “It won’t be so bad, I promise. We’ll be in and out.”

Jeff then rolled over and swiftly pulled her on top of him. He grinned up at her. “Do you promise to be formidable?”

She laughed and nodded, settling against him comfortably. “I promise. That office space will be cleaned out faster than the gym on leg day.”

He let out a quick laugh as she leaned down to kiss his lips. When she pulled away, he stared up at her with a soft look. One of appreciation and fondness. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” She ran her thumb over his cheek one last time before she hopped out of bed to take a shower.

Later, when they both showered and ate a quick breakfast, she just about had to push him out the door of his apartment. He was taking it better than she anticipated which was a good thing, even if he was acting reluctant and put out.

He liked to be dramatic.

When they arrived at his office space, the area was empty. It was in the middle of a strip mall, but not many people were out and about just yet. Annie reflected on the fact that she hadn’t ever visited the place. Not because she didn’t want to, but because he never invited her. Of course, there were times she thought about surprising him on a random day of the week, but there was always a part of her that feared it would break the spell of whatever they had. And other times, it seemed like he wanted nothing to do with the place. Now she understood why.

They stood in front of the building, staring through the glass into a darkened space. It looked small, just enough room for his desk and two chairs opposite for his clients. She took his hand in hers when he didn’t move, and she sent him a reassuring smile and hoped it made him feel a little less dejected.

He smiled tightly at her and then moved forward to unlock the door. He walked in first, sighing as he carried in a stack of collapsible cardboard boxes. She followed him in, glancing at the space around her. It wasn’t very bright, lots of beiges and browns. There were paintings on the walls, but they seemed to have been left by the previous owners of the space. He had a small bookshelf behind his desk which was filled with a fair amount of law books, a few of which she recalled seeing him with at Greendale. There was even a TV, but she had no idea what purpose it served in his office.

There wasn’t much to pack up, but Annie knew he appreciated the help anyway. “Maybe I can get started on the books?” She opened a box and went behind the desk.

“Sure, thanks. I’ll empty out the liquor cabinet,” he sighed. She gave him a pointed look and he made an indignant sound in defense, “It was for my clients! To celebrate a win! Lots of lawyers keep alcohol handy.”

She rolled her eyes, about to kneel in front of the shelf when something on his desk caught her eye. It was a frame sitting in the far corner. It was a photo of the study group from his graduation day. Jeff was sitting in his seat at the table while the group surrounded him. Abed was to his right, wearing a genuine smile that he so rarely revealed to the camera. Troy was in front of Abed, laughing while holding a plate of cake. Shirley and Britta’s arms were around each other in a side hug to Jeff’s left. And Annie, well, she was directly behind Jeff, her arms around his neck as she hugged him from behind. They were all beaming, even Jeff was grinning from ear to ear. She blushed at the memory and reflected on that fact that maybe they were never that great at hiding their affection for one another.

Jeff hadn’t noticed that the photo caught her eye, so when he caught her smiling at him, he had no idea why. “You good?” He asked, chuckling.

She nodded, deciding that she didn’t want to embarrass him. “Yeah, yeah…I was just…It’s funny, you have all these books but I don’t think I’ve ever seen you read any of them.”

At this, he smirked, shrugging casually. “What happens behind the scenes is just as important as what everyone else sees.” She squinted at him still, smiling, and began her task of emptying the bookshelf. “Oh, um. I have a guy coming to pick up the TV in about 30 minutes, so we won’t have to worry about that,” he added, emptying the contents of the cabinet.

“Okay,” she smiled reassuringly.

Later, when the office was empty and the boxes were loaded into his Lexus, it was just the two of them standing in the middle of the room. She knew it was a cliché thought, but the room seemed bigger without everything there. She wondered who the next person would be to take over the space, and what they would do with it. No matter how Jeff felt about the situation, she was so proud of him. For building the place himself, for getting so far. He didn’t fail, he succeeded. But now it was time for a different move, and it would be for the best.

She had her arm around him as he took one final glance around the room, and she noted the way his fingers tightened around the fabric of her blouse. She didn’t know what more she could say to make him feel better, and she didn’t really think it was the moment to try. It was his moment. So when his eyes finally landed on hers, she lifted up on her toes and pressed a soft kiss to the corner of his mouth.

He smiled at her, pulling her into him. “Come on,” he said. “Let’s get out of here.”

\---

“Thanks for the ride, Jeff,” Troy said as he and Abed piled into the back seats of the Lexus.

“My pleasure,” he said with a sardonic bite to his voice.

Annie swatted his arm from the passenger seat and he grinned. “How are you guys? Sorry I didn’t come home today, Jeff and I lost track of time.”

“Interesting developments?” Abed finally spoke, looking between the two casually.

Jeff rolled his eyes, “Riveting ones.”

Annie ignored her boyfriend and tried to think of an answer that would be truthful. Because in reality, there were big developments, ones that were to be shared with the group that evening. “He’s just teasing. We were just hanging out.” She didn’t share the fact that they actually spent the morning clearing out his office, not wanting to bring more attention to Jeff’s situation and make him uncomfortable.

“Does hanging out mean having sex?” Troy snickered, wiggling his eyebrows.

Before Annie could protest (though she did blush), Jeff cut in. “Okay! Turning the radio on.”

They spent the rest of the ride to Shirley’s listening to whatever song was playing on the radio, and eventually the conversation moved on to the latest videogame Troy was playing, and then morphed into secret Troy and Abed code for the app they were supposedly developing.

Annie smiled to herself, listening to her friends go on and on about their project. And when she glanced at Jeff, she noticed a hint of a smile tempting the corners of his mouth.

When they eventually arrived, Jeff and Annie followed Troy and Abed into the house, and Annie was conscious of the fact that they were holding hands as they did so. They hadn’t spent too much time with the group since their relationship was made public, so there were quite a few things that felt new, especially in front of their friends. For some reason, she felt nervous.

It seemed silly, she knew that, but she also knew the group. And they’d force their way into anyplace they deemed necessary. Annie didn’t mind though, because she knew the _fabric of the group_ would not be tampered with. Everything would be the same as it always was, except for maybe the fact that Annie could now touch him because she felt like it, or that Jeff could kiss her whenever he wanted.

“Hi everyone,” Annie said once Shirley and Britta came into view. For the first time in history, Britta wasn’t the last to arrive.

“Hello,” Shirley sang, overtly looking at Jeff and Annie’s tangled fingers.

Jeff quietly sighed, loud enough for only Annie to hear. He let go of Annie’s hand to shrug off his jacket, but she figured he didn’t want to be stared at all evening, so she was okay with him letting go.

“Did the four of you arrive together?” Shirley asked, wiping her hands over her apron. Next to her was a plate of brownies.

“Yep!” Troy chimed in. “Jeff and Annie picked us up since it’s on the way,” he tried stealing a brownie but Shirley batted his hand away.

“Oh really?” Britta squinted over her glass of wine. “So, Jeff and Annie…you were already together?”

“Yup,” Jeff said, unamused.

“Um, Annie,” Shirley began, tentatively. “Did you spend the night at Jeffrey’s?”

“She did,” Jeff said again, louder. He clearly did not want to spend the evening jumping through hoops with these two.

“It sounds like it's getting serious,” Britta added, arching an eyebrow.

“You guys!” Annie exasperated. “We all know Jeff and I are together, why are you giving us a hard time?”

Shirley and Britta looked at each other and snickered.

“What…?” Annie looked between them and then at Jeff. He seemed just as confused.

“Gotcha!” Britta pointed at them and then high-fived Shirley.

Relief washed over Annie, and she couldn’t help but laugh herself. She hadn’t realized how worried she was to face everyone together, now that the secret was known by all. She was grateful for the fact that her friends were now being supportive.

She looked at Jeff and saw a smile tug the corner of his mouth, but he didn’t give in. He only rolled his eyes and sighed at the ceiling. “Are we gonna order Chinese food or what?”

Everything went back to normal when Shirley responded, pulling out the menus from the kitchen. Soon, everyone was surrounding her as she wrote down their order, everyone talking over one another so they could get their favorite dishes. During the commotion, Jeff looked over at Annie and sent her a soft smile, because yeah, it was pretty obvious that he was relieved too.

Everything seemed to calm down by the time the food arrived, and somehow, they ordered way too much. But it didn’t seem to matter because Shirley seemed pleased, and Annie was glad to give her a break from all the cooking. It was the perfect way to end the summer together, and things were starting to feel like they used to, only this time she felt like she was in a better place. She hoped they felt it too. Especially Jeff, who surprisingly allowed himself to be affectionate in front of everyone.

He draped his arm over her shoulders, absent-mindedly twirled her hair between his fingers, and wasn’t afraid to press a kiss to her head when no one was looking. If anyone noticed these small gestures, they didn’t say anything.

Later, when brownies were served and everyone was gathered in the living room for a board game, Annie stopped short of the kitchen when she noticed Jeff and Britta were stopped at the sink talking. She decided not to intrude, recognizing that it was the first time they were alone since the dreaded night at the apartment. She kept herself hidden in the hallway, listening in on their conversation.

“So, I just want to say that, you know, I’m sorry for what I said about you and Annie.” Britta’s voice was loud and clear despite the awkward tone she couldn’t help.

“Oh, um. Thanks.”

“For some reason you guys work, and I guess that’s all that matters right?”

Jeff laughed slightly, “Yeah. For some reason unknown to the universe, yeah. We work.”

She paused. “I think you’re a good guy, Jeff. Even though you’re a sarcastic ass most of the time, you’re one of the good ones. Sorry for being so hard on you all the time.”

“Thanks, Britta.” He sounded astoundingly sincere. Annie knew that Britta’s sentiment probably meant a lot to him. “Right back at you, I guess.”

“You really were supportive of me and Troy, weren’t you?”

“Yeah. I was.”

Annie couldn’t help the smile that took over her face because she witnessed Jeff and Britta having a moment. She already knew everything would soon go back to normal, but it was important for Jeff to know it too. For his sake.

Not wanting the pair to know she was listening in on the exchange, she quietly slipped out of the hallway to join everyone else in the next room.

\---

They completed two rounds of Clue before Jeff and Annie looked at each other and wordlessly decided that it was best time to share the news. She reached over to hold his hand and took a deep breath. “Jeff and I have an announcement we’d like to make.”

Everyone in the room immediately stopped what they were doing and stared at the couple. Complete silence fell over the room, and it lasted a full fifteen seconds before they all began speaking at once.

“Oh lord, you’re pregnant!”

“Oh fuck, did you guys break up already?”

“You’re moving in together.”

“I knew I shouldn’t have eaten that last dumpling…”

“What? No, guys!” Annie sighed, “Just listen!” She took a deep breath. “Jeff and I…well, we’ve decided that we’re going back. To Greendale.” They all stared at them blankly, and Annie looked to Jeff, imploring him to explain.

He sighed, still holding her hand. “I’m sure all of you know by now that my law firm didn’t exactly go as planned.” Everyone slightly nodded, because yeah, it was obvious that they all felt bad and were walking on eggshells regarding the topic. He continued though, and seemed okay to do so, like he was owning this next step in his life. “Well, the dean heard about my situation and he offered me a teaching job. So. I’m taking it.”

Annie beamed, she was so proud of him. When she looked at the rest of the group, she didn’t know what to anticipate, but she was relieved to see similar reactions from all of them. Shirley had a small smile teasing her lips. Britta smirked and nodded, but it wasn’t teasing. Troy looked surprised but seemed to ponder the information.

“I think that’s a great idea, Jeffrey,” Shirley reached over squeezed his free hand.

And Abed, he nodded like he knew exactly what Jeff was going to say. “I also think this is a great idea, Jeff. It allows there to be more to the story and refines your arc. I originally thought your secret relationship with Annie was going to keep the audience tuning in, but now that the secret is out, there needs to be a reason for another season.”

“Abed,” Jeff looked at the ceiling. “How many times do I have to tell you? My life isn’t a TV show, and neither is yours.”

He nodded again, “That’s very in character for you to say.” Annie laughed at this, and Jeff rolled his eyes good-naturedly. Abed then snapped his fingers and looked at Annie, “Wait a second, you said ‘ _we’re_ going back to Greendale.’”

Now all eyes were on Annie, and she took another breath. “Right. Well, I’m going back too. As a student.”

“What about your job?” Britta looked at her skeptically.

“I quit my job.” There was a slight gasp from everyone, and she explained further. “I’ve been really unhappy at Futurza and I realized that it’s not what I want,” she shrugged simply. “So, with that being said, I will be majoring in forensic science,” she smiled proudly. She felt Jeff squeeze her hand, and when she looked over at him, he was smiling at her proudly.

Troy had been mostly quiet during the conversation, just hanging on to every word. But it surprised almost everybody when he broke the silence that fell over them, “Annie, I think that’s really awesome. I didn’t know you could just _do_ that! I thought once you graduated, you like, had to have a job or you’d get arrested or something…” After another moment, he said, “I wanna go back too.”

“Troy,” Annie laughed, “Really?”

“Yeah! I’m working at Game Stop. I thought it would be fun because I _love_ video games, but my boss never lets me play them! And I feel like I’m not making the most out of my degree,” he shrugged. “I think I should go back and see what else is out there.”

“I think that’s very admirable, Troy,” Annie smiled. “It will be nice having someone else joining me.”

“Okay,” Britta sighed. “I’m in,” she declared, shocking everyone. She looked around the room and shrugged, “I never finished getting all of my psych credits to actually declare it as my major. So yeah, I’ll go back too. Why the hell not?”

“Oh, Britta!” Annie squealed, clapping, “This will be so great!”

Jeff looked mildly impressed and nodded. Annie assumed he was genuinely happy for Britta’s decision, and even more so that they wouldn’t be so alone in this.

Shirley cleared her throat, waiting for everyone’s attention. “Well, as you know, I’m already on campus running Shirley’s Sandwiches, but I think I can find time to take a few classes with my dear friends,” she smiled. “And who knows, maybe it will do me some good to take a few more business classes.”

“Oh yay!” This time Annie jumped up to hug Shirley.

“And then there was one,” Abed said in a very convincing narrator voice. They all looked to him, waiting. “I suppose everyone is waiting for me to share a reason why I need to go back to Greendale, whether it be for missing credits, an unfulfilling post-grad career, or unfinished Leonard-related business. And now that I’ve kept you waiting for the appropriate amount of time, I can now confirm that I will be joining the rest of you this fall. I’ve been getting odd jobs filming things for people, but I think I need to learn how to work with them better.”

Jeff, though grinning, said, “You don’t say, buddy.”

“Still waiting on that check, Jeff.”

“So, it’s official?” Annie said excitedly. “We’re all going back to Greendale?”

“We’re repiloting,” Abed corrected.

Jeff, who hadn’t said much since he told everyone he would be teaching, sat up from his position on the couch and said, “Abed, we’re not repiloting. We’re all just…finding our footing again, right?” He looked to Annie, for confirmation (but mostly comfort).

“Right,” she nodded, smiling. “I love you guys. I’m so excited we’re doing this together.”

“Hell yeah,” Britta said, raising her wine glass.

“This is gonna be dope,” Troy said, doing his handshake with Abed.

“Oh!” Shirley said as she got up from her chair. “I think I have some leftover champagne from my sister’s baby shower! Let’s celebrate!”

Everyone was now in a giddy mood, the evening turning out much better than Annie anticipated. She couldn’t help but grab hold of Jeff’s face and give him a kiss. She felt him smiling against her mouth and she couldn’t help but laugh against his lips.

“Hey, has anyone heard from Pierce lately?” Troy asked. “It’s kinda weird we haven’t heard from him since he made it a point to graduate before Jeff back in January.”

“Lazy writing if you ask me,” Abed added.

“I spoke to him over email a few weeks ago. He was vacationing in Maui all summer,” Annie confirmed. “Ooh, I’ll ask him if he wants to re-enroll with us!”

“Annie, don’t ruin it.”

“Jeff,” she gently smacked him.

Abed then added, “Jeff, since we’re repiloting, would you consider faking your teaching degree so we can really get this ball rolling?”

“Abed, don’t push it.”

Annie laughed good-naturedly and placed a kiss on Jeff’s cheek, just in time for Shirley to return with the champagne and glasses. Once everyone received a glass, they toasted to a new beginning.

 

 


	17. Beginnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the final chapter before the epilogue. Thank you for reading this far <3

 

Annie always loved the first day of school. Ever since she was a child, she counted down the days until she could open a new pack of gel pens, organize her things into color coordinated folders, and spend her day taking in new information that would no doubt make her a well-rounded individual. School had always been good to her. It was once an escape from a messy home life, then a place where she met the most important people in her life, and now, the place that would set her on the life path she always dreamed of.

It didn’t matter that she was almost twenty-three, and still finding herself excited for the prospect of school. If there was anything she learned in the past four years, it was that life was unexpected and that Greendale, which had given her so much, was now going to give her even more opportunities.

Speaking of things that Greendale had given her…her boyfriend had a much different outlook on education. Especially now that he was a teacher. He spent the remaining weeks of August practically dragging his feet, but Annie tried her best to change his attitude. Especially now that their friends would be joining them in this next chapter of their lives.

She reminded herself of last night, and how like usual, Jeff wanted nothing more than to put all school related thought on the backburner. But it only took a bit of Annie’s persuading before he was just as giddy at the prospect…

***

“Jeff,” she whispered as he kissed down her neck and nuzzled into the warm skin at her chest. “Are you excited for tomorrow?”

He took a moment to thoroughly kiss the space between her breasts and even nibble the area with his teeth before he sighed and hovered over her face once again. “Annie, I don’t want to talk about school right now. This is my last night of freedom and I’d like to enjoy it before the shame settles in,” he said before kissing the corner of her mouth.

She playfully rolled her eyes and used her hand to mess up his hair. “Well, I’m excited. I bought a new backpack and it’s—” he cut her off with a kiss. She hummed into his mouth and allowed his tongue to sweep inside, distracting her from whatever she was about to say about her new backpack.

He pulled away from her with a satisfied grin. He always knew how to shut her up. She pulled him down for another kiss before he started working his way back down her body, and just as his mouth found her right nipple, she decided it was a good time to keep him updated on her school supplies.

“ _Oh_ ,” she moaned. “And I have…new gel pens…and the ink writes so…smoothly…”

“Annie,” he said against her skin. “Shhh.”

She was quiet for a moment as she let herself feel the attention he was giving her body, and although she was enjoying her night with Jeff, her mind was preoccupied with thoughts of school. She couldn’t help it! She’d grown up a lot since she first attended Greendale, but her love of academia was something she would never grow out of.

“I bought some red pens for you too,” she breathed. “For grading papers.” She was so caught up in the moment, the feeling of his lips on her skin and the thoughts of pens and ink, that she startled at the sound of Jeff laughing against her.

He looked up at her grinning and shaking his head, a gleam in his eye that never failed to make her insides flutter. “Only you, Annie Edison.”

“What?”

“I’m doing some of my best work over here and you’re thinking about pens,” he answered still smiling. She giggled as he crawled back up and kissed her deeply, pulling away only to say, “Thanks for the pens.”

He then flipped them so she was on top, something that always sent a thrill right through her. Beaming at him from above, she ran her hands slowly from his shoulders and down his arms until their hands were tangled together. “Did I ever tell you that I think teachers are extremely sexy?”

“Hmmm,” he said, “I don’t remember. But please, feel free to remind me.”

She laughed as she leaned down for a kiss and spent the rest of the night reminding him just that.

***

She grinned at the memory, and when her alarm chimed in Jeff’s quiet bedroom, she quickly silenced it, though it was completely unnecessary because she was already awake and buzzing with excitement. As expected, Jeff wasn’t quite ready for his day to begin, and he remained curled under his blankets and snuggled into his pillow.

She decided to let him sleep for a while longer, but she didn’t mind because it allowed her to double check her already-packed _new_ backpack, glance over her schedule, and get started on breakfast. She climbed out of his bed, just after placing a kiss on his forehead, and making sure that his own alarm was set to go off in twenty minutes.

And by the time he did climb out of bed and stumble into the kitchen, she was already pouring two mugs of coffee and sliding scrambled eggs onto two plates. She was humming along to something on her iPod as she did so.

“What’s this?” He asked, his voice still thick with sleep.

“It’s our First Day of School Breakfast!”

He stared at her for a moment before laughing, rubbing his eyes. He wore nothing but a pair of sweatpants, which he pulled on after stumbling out of bed. She eyed him appreciatively and blushed at the memory of the previous night’s activities. She had to admit, the whole teaching thing really turned her on.

“You went all out,” he said.

“Well, I wanted it to be special,” she shrugged, adding a piece of toast as a final touch.

At this, he smiled and made his way over to her, wrapping his arms around her from behind. He nuzzled his nose into her neck, “You’re too good to me.”

She grinned, holding his arms in place around her. She looked up at him from behind, “I’m just really happy.”

His eyes went from amused to absolutely tender, and he surprised her by spinning and lifting her on top of the counter. She squeaked and looked into his eyes, which were now much more level with her own. His hand came up to caress the side of her face, his thumb sweeping gently across her cheek.

“The feeling is mutual,” he murmured just before kissing her.

The morning seemed to have passed quickly once they finished their breakfast, both flitting around his apartment getting ready. There was a brief moment during the rush of the morning, when she sat across from him and he smiled at her over a mug of coffee. She realized that it was something she could get used to.

He insisted that they drive to school together, and she was okay with that, although she did warn him that if she received any first-day homework that it would be her priority when they returned to this apartment. And that if it was a lot, then he would have to respect the fact that she went home to her own apartment to study because he would no doubt be a distraction.

He pretended to be mildly offended, but she knew he was teasing her because he tugged at the hem of her blouse seductively as she went on her spiel. She rolled her eyes at him before giving him a good luck kiss, which he was reluctant to pull away from. She wished she could go with him to get settled in his new office (he had his own office!) but she had a meeting with the professor she was assisting all semester.

When she met the woman, Professor Petrelli, Annie was pleased to know that she had a background in law enforcement and knew that she would be able to aid Annie with any questions she may have while completing her forensics degree.

Though they hadn’t had much time to get to know each other just yet, they had time to chat before class began.

“I’ve only just started here during the summer semester, but I think you’ll enjoy yourself here at Greendale. You’ll fit right in!” The woman smiled at Annie just as students began to fill the classroom.

Annie only smiled and nodded, wanting to laugh at the fact that the woman had no idea of the history Annie had with this place. She figured she’d fill her in on everything eventually, but for now she’d let it go. Because just like she’d been telling herself and Jeff, it was a new beginning.

\---

Later, when she finally met Jeff at lunchtime, she found him in his office with his feet propped up on the desk, playing around with phone. He noticed her as soon as she peeked into the room. He texted her and said he would leave it open.

“Hey,” he grinned.

“Hey yourself,” she said as she walked in, looking around. The office wasn’t awful, it was actually quite roomy. It was obvious that it was a shared space, but the other professor wasn’t present at the moment. The walls were drab and kind of reminded her of a basement, but Jeff seemed comfortable enough. Plus, she hoped the little surprise she had for him would help.

“How was class, Miss Sara C. Bisel?”

Annie snorted, “Did you google famous women in forensic science? Just so you could say that?”

He nodded, holding up his phone, “The internet is a funny thing, I tell ya.”

She laughed moving towards him behind his desk. “What about you? How was your first class?” She clapped, trying to contain her excitement.

“It was,” he bobbed his head back and forth. “It will take some getting used to. But,” he shrugged. “It wasn’t half bad.”

Annie squealed and leaned in to give him a kiss. “I knew you’d like it,” she said against his mouth.

“Yeah, yeah,” he sighed, tugging at her hand. “Come on, we said we’d meet everyone for lunch.”

“Wait, before we go!” Annie slipped her backpack off her shoulders and placed it on his desk, unzipping it so she had access to its contents.

“More pens?” He teased.

“Shhh.” Inside her backpack, she had something for him.

He looked at her curiously from his chair a she held out a wrapped present. “What’s this?”

“Just a little something for your desk.”

He smiled slightly, unwrapping the tissue paper. Underneath was the photo she found in his old office the day they packed everything up. His expression went from surprised to touched, and she didn’t miss the way his cheeks colored a light pink.

“I saw it on your desk last week and I thought it was lovely. I thought you’d like to have it for in here too,” she said gently. “I know we’re all together again, but I thought it would make you feel a little more at home.”

“Annie, this is…this is really great, thank you.”

He set it on the corner of his desk and while he wasn’t looking, she held out another similarly wrapped package. “One more.”

He let himself smile even more, taking the gift from her hands. It was another photo, but this time it was one he hadn’t seen before. It was one taken over the summer of just the two of them. It was from the day of Charlotte’s engagement party. They were both dressed up and smiling wide and Annie had insisted that they take a moment to document the afternoon. He accepted, never one to pass up the opportunity for a glamor shot. It was a selfie, one he took with his arm around her and her hand against his chest. She always loved it and debated making it her phone background once or twice.

He looked at the photo and took a moment to admire it. “I really like this one.”

“Me too,” she blushed.

He placed the frame next to the other one on his desk and then reached for her hand. Instead of pulling him up, she allowed him to pull her into his lap. She draped her legs over his knees and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. His hands gently skimmed her thighs comfortingly. He looked at her thoughtfully and she felt her pulse pound. That was one thing that would never change. His soft gaze would always unravel her.

“You know,” he said in a low voice. “I was at the bar that night because I was feeling sorry for myself. Things at work were just starting to tank, and I wanted to drink away the stress.” His hand slowly moved back and forth along her thigh. “It was my first time there months. I decided to go on a whim,” he said, shrugging. “And I was barely one drink deep when you showed up. And then you completely turned everything around for me.”

She smiled. “I felt that way too,” she whispered.

Shaking his head, he said, “If things weren’t so bad, I wouldn’t have been there.”

“I know,” she smiled reassuringly.  “I’m sorry you’d been feeling that way.”

“I know,” he said. “But I guess you could say that finding each other that night was fate.”

She laughed lightly. “Jeff Winger believing in fate? Who are you and what have you done with my boyfriend?”

“What I’m saying is, maybe the universe has a funny way of working sometimes. Because if I had to choose between a life as a successful lawyer or a life that lead me here to this moment,” he said in a low voice. “I’d choose to be here, because it’s the life that brought me to you.”

“Jeff.” Tears filled her eyes but she didn’t let them fall. She had never once in her life felt so loved. And never in her life had felt so much love for another person. She didn’t think it was possible, but it grew more and more each day.

She took hold of his face and leaned in to kiss him soundly on the lips. They held it for a few long moments before they pulled apart.

“Thank you for the pictures.”

\---

They kept their promise to the others that they would meet them for lunch. Rather than meeting in the noisy cafeteria, they made the decision to meet up in their old study room. She supposed it wasn’t really their _old_ study room because they’d only been away for a few months. But nevertheless, it _felt_ significant.

Of course, Pierce declined and explained that he’d be spending a few more weeks away, but that he would speak to Annie soon. Everyone else was there and happily chatting as they ate their way through lunch. It felt like old times, but there was also something that felt different in the air. Perhaps there was ease because they’d all done this before and there was a familiarity surrounding them. But maybe it was because they’d all grown a lot in the time away too.

Annie felt as though she’d grown a lot this past summer, all on her own. She had a full-time job that she could now add to an already impressive resume. She learned a lot about what she wanted and how it changed since her time at Greendale. Past Annie would be freaking out if she knew that Current Annie quit her job and was basically starting over. She always had a life plan and going back to school threw everything off kilter. But she supposed that had been the case since the very first day she stepped foot on campus. Never did she expect to find a home in a place that had fallen victim to not one, but two paintball games, and a family in a group of people who could not have been more different from one another.

She looked around the table and smiled at her friends, and when her eyes landed on Jeff, she felt that same flutter in her stomach that she felt that very first day. The day she joined his fake and very illegitimate Spanish study group. She never thought she would find herself here in this moment. And especially not with him. But somewhere along the way, she knew that he did a lot of growing too, and somehow they were able to find each other. They were able to find a home within each other.

In the next moment, Jeff’s eyes found hers and he smiled at her until his eyes were crinkled at the corners. It was her favorite smile.

She took it in, she took everything in. She was ready for this new beginning.

 

 


	18. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A look into Jeff and Annie's Season 5.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it, folks!

 

While Annie settled into her studies, Jeff settled into his teaching job at Greendale fairly quickly, although it did take some persuading and bickering with Annie before he realized it was something that he would actually enjoy. When he met his office mate, criminology professor Buzz Hickey, Jeff seemed to confide in the guy as he was shown the ropes of Greendale’s administration.

Of course, things between Jeff and Annie got a little testy when she found out this information, because she herself had Hickey as a professor and she wasn’t completely on board with his teaching tactics. Then even more tension arose when Annie enrolled in Jeff’s class to keep an eye on him. Of course, she didn’t _really_ enroll in the class because that would’ve been a conflict of interest (although they had spent a good amount of time playing out the scenario in Jeff’s bedroom), and Annie was always one to stick to the rules. However, when she sat in on the class, she was appalled at Jeff’s disinterest in the job and his lack of enthusiasm with his students. She confronted him about it which turned into a showdown in front of the class and ended with her storming out of the room.

When he found her later, sitting on the couch in the student lounge, he apologized and said he didn’t mean for it to get so heated. She understood and apologized herself, because she shouldn’t have gotten involved and undermined his authority in front of his students. They accepted each other’s apologies and hugged it out, without caring who might have seen their display in the middle of the busy campus.

“I only want you to enjoy yourself, Jeff. Because I know you’ll inspire a lot of the people here,” she said when they pulled out of the hug.

“I know you do,” he said pushing hair behind her ear. “You’re right, I need to embrace my time here or else I’ll be miserable.”

\---

Although their first month began with a somewhat rocky start, they eventually found their footing and was able to find enjoyment in the strangest of places. They even began the Save Greendale Committee, which gave the group an excuse to meet around the study table on a regular basis, just like old times. They were back at home and Annie couldn’t help but feel overcome with joy, especially because it was a whole new project to tackle. She had a binder and everything. Her favorite part, though, was her wall of task stars which Jeff endlessly teased her about, and often found lying around his apartment even when she wasn’t there. He didn’t really mind.

But just when things seemed to be getting back to normalcy, the Ass Crack Bandit made their return to the Greendale campus, and Annie remembered that normalcy at Greendale was never really that normal. She begged Jeff to team up with her to solve the mystery, and she was absolutely giddy with the prospect of teaming up with him. He pretended to be reluctant at first, but all she had to do was bat her eyelashes and he was sold. When an adrenaline filled ambush almost destroyed one of the science labs, Jeff and Annie were admonished by the dean and thrown off the case.

“What is this creepy business? Do you really need to hold hands in the dark and go off on cutesie capers? You do enough of that in broad daylight!”

Annie knew he had a point there, because there was nothing platonic about the way Jeff held her hand as they slinked through the halls of Greendale looking for suspects. And there was nothing platonic about the way he pulled her into the storage room to make out after they discovered another clue (It was purely to celebrate the small victory, but it didn’t mean they weren’t dedicated to finding the culprit!).

But nothing seemed to matter by the end of the night because just as they were about to solve the case, they received the worst news Annie could have possibly imagined. It seemed as if time stopped when Shirley tearfully found the couple in the misty hallway outside the cafeteria.

“Jeff. Annie. Pierce is dead.”

She cried. The shock instantly settled in, and the only thing she thought to do was move to hug her friend. She held it together for a few moments, but when she looked at Jeff’s face, she absolutely crumbled. He held her while she cried and he whispered beside her ear, telling her everything would be okay. Though her face was tucked against his shoulder, she could hear him sniff, fighting the emotion that was breaking its way through.

She didn’t remember when she stopped crying, but she knew it was sometime during the night when she was cuddled with Jeff under his covers. He held her until the tears stopped and he soothed her until she was calm.

She didn’t know if she would have been able to cope without him, and she was grateful that she had Jeff to share one the saddest nights she ever experienced. But just like always, she was there for him too because she wasn’t the only one hurting.

“He loved you,” Jeff murmured to her.

“He loved you too,” she whispered, brushing the hair back at his temples.

\---

But that wasn’t the worst of it. After Pierce’s funeral, they were all subjected to a polygraph test in the most absurd fashion, much like Pierce himself. Of course, it led to the group fighting and accusing and shaming one another. Somehow, after a series of revealing and truth telling moments, they were given thoughtful and heartfelt gifts from their deceased friend. Annie received the tiara she once refused and held it close, realizing that it was the only piece of Pierce that she would have left. Even Jeff seemed touched at the bottle of scotch he was given, and they all collectively ignored the _other_ gift that they were oh so generously given. However, the greatest shock of the day came when Troy was gifted Pierce’s fortune, on the condition that he sailed around the world to become “his own man.” It was tragically sad and shocking, and it was the second night of the week that she spent crying in Jeff’s arms.

Saying goodbye to Troy was one of the most difficult events the group had to experience, but somehow thanks to Greendale (but mostly Abed), it became an adventure that no one would ever forget. As usual, Jeff and Annie paired up and was heavily swept away with the seriousness of Hot Lava. They centipeded and inchwormed their way through the halls, stealing kisses when they found safe and secure pieces of furniture to regroup and scheme. Although they didn’t make it to the end, they waited with the rest of the group as Troy said his final goodbyes to Greendale.

Troy was more than her friend. He was her brother, and saying goodbye to him just about tore her to pieces. She’d never forget his support over the years, and more recently, his support of her relationship with Jeff. She didn’t know how long he’d be gone, but she would be there to welcome him home with open arms.

\---

A few weeks later, Annie was faced with an unexpected challenge involving a corkboard and a disgruntled Buzz Hickey, but it eventually worked out (except for the outcome of the _Bear Dance_ that somehow Jeff participated in planning) and she was proud of herself for completing another one of the many task stars that hung in the study room.

She also had dinner with her brother. Over the past three years, she’d been in contact with Anthony again, even though she felt as though there was a lot of unresolved tension. She was nervous to see him because it was the first time in almost five years, but she was also nervous because he would also be meeting Jeff.

He was supportive throughout the whole thing and she was truly grateful that he seemed to understand how important it was to her. He even offered to host the dinner at his apartment, but she decided it was best to have it at her own place because it would be a good way for Anthony to reacquaint himself with Annie and her new life. But Jeff was still helpful, because he was able to handle Abed with things began to get out of hand (There had been tension ever since Troy left). In the end, she felt as though the evening was a success, and although her brother didn’t say much, Jeff tried his best to engage and make a good impression. It was kind of cute how much he tried.

\---

After another intense game of Dungeons and Dragons, once again for the sake of helping one of their friends, Jeff formally and officially got acquainted with _Hector the Well-Endowed_ and they indulged themselves just a bit (Jeff was really into it).

Although things were going so well in their relationship, there were still a lot of vulnerable moments. As Jeff’s 40th birthday approached, he was in a slump for the entire week. But instead of letting him drink his worries away, Annie attempted to make the day special for him without focusing on his age. She treated him to a day at the mall and to a nice dinner, keeping things low-key. He even took her to meet his mother, which made her insides flutter with indescribable happiness.

\---

When the news came of Subway buying out Greendale Community College, the group was left devastated. More so than anyone, it was Annie and Abed who were much more enthusiastic about trying to save their home for the past five years. Jeff and Britta on the other hand, seemed to be much more pessimistic about the whole thing, ready to let it go once and for all.

Though she was determined to save the school, there was a moment when she needed a break from all the chaos and worry. She went to the study room to be alone. Of course, sitting there made her feel nostalgic and she felt an unmistakable sadness within herself. She let the tears fall and gasped in surprise when she heard someone enter the room.

She was relieved that it was only Jeff, but she wasn’t sure how to explain what she was feeling, especially since it was her that convinced him to come back to the school.

“Annie…” He immediately knelt beside her. “I’ve been looking for you, what’s wrong? Talk to me.”

She wiped at her cheek. “I’m worried, Jeff. What if…what if we can’t save this place? What if I was in over my head?” She sniffed and then looked at him tiredly, “What are we going to do? I convinced you to work here. I quit my job! What’s going to happen?”

“We’ll figure it out,” he wiped another tear that fell from her face. It was funny, because it was Annie who spent the past six months convincing him that everything would be okay, but now it was Jeff doing the convincing.

“What if it was all for nothing?”

“What?” He almost laughed, but remained thoughtful of her current state. “Annie, this wasn’t for nothing.”

“We’re about to lose Greendale to a sandwich chain, Jeff.”

“Yeah, that may be. But it wasn’t for nothing.” He tangled his hand with hers. “You of all people know it wasn’t for nothing.

“I don’t know if I really believe that anymore.”

“Hey,” he tilted her chin so she was looking right at him. “That’s not true.” He then leaned in to press a soft kiss to her lips.

When he pulled away, she kept her eyes closed. How could she even entertain the fact that Greendale let her down? They could turn the place into a sandwich university this time next month, but it wouldn’t matter because Jeff was the most important thing she could have been given.

“I’m sorry,” she said when she opened her eyes. “I didn’t mean it like that,” she sniffed.

“Do you remember what you told me over the summer? That I don’t have to worry about what comes next? Because I have a support system and I have you.” She nodded, remembering. “Well, you have me, okay? You’ll always have me.”

She looked at him, still down on one knee and thought about how he looked right in that moment. And then it all clicked. “We have each other.”

He smiled, relieved, and she kissed him again. And again and again. To the point where she was practically sliding off her chair and into his lap. Jeff, who was still on his knee, stood and lifted her so she was sitting on the table instead.

“Probably too soon for me to be on my knee, huh?” He laughed lightly.

“Jeff,” she laughed too. She wasn’t even surprised that he made the joke, alluding to proposing to her. In the eleven months that they’d been together, there was no question how he felt about her. And it was obvious that the two were committed to each other no matter what life through at them.

“We’re going to get through this, okay?” He murmured.

“Okay,” she whispered before kissing him. She learned a lot in the past year. About Jeff, about relationships. She learned that kissing him was the easiest thing in the world, so she let herself get lost in him, letting him fill the latest void in her life. But just as things became heated, Abed, Britta, and the Dean burst through the doors yelling about buried treasure.

Later, when they somehow found themselves trapped in a secret bunker, it was Jeff who saved them. Finding an insane and somehow living Dr. Borchert wasn’t even the most surprising thing to happen that day, it wasn’t even the buried treasure that they did indeed find. It was when Jeff put on that ridiculous headset and somehow got them out of there. It was a blast of human passion.

As the room lit up and the door opened, she turned to find Jeff staring at her. He didn’t look scared or embarrassed, he looked so sure, like he knew just what would happen. While everyone else ran outside, she ran to him.

\---

Their one-year anniversary snuck up on them. Well, they hadn’t really discussed it as May eventually rolled around. It seemed as if it approached slowly and quickly all at once. The summer felt exciting and new, like being on a roller coaster with unexpected twists and turns. Annie was strapped in and held Jeff’s hand through the entire journey. The following months after they returned to school seemed to remain calm and at a steady pace, like floating in a lazy river. Things happened gradually, but they had no choice but to go with the flow and adapt to all the changes that came their way.

(Okay, she really needed to stop with the amusement park references. Maybe she would drag Jeff to one over the summer.)

But nevertheless, thinking back on the year she had, Annie was pleased with herself and everything she accomplished. And she knew it all started that night she found Jeff sitting alone at the bar.

As the school year came to a close, they hadn’t really discussed any plans to celebrate their anniversary. Annie didn’t mind though, because every day with Jeff made her feel like she won the lottery. She knew he felt the same way, and they were probably too smug about the entire thing, but she couldn’t find it in herself to really care. They were happy and that was the most important thing.

However, she did want to celebrate the year that they spent together, so although they both woke up that morning tangled in her bed, she made the decision to avoid him for the rest of the day. He eventually caught on and spent his day sending her confused text messages. But it wasn’t until he found the little note that she left on his desk that it obviously clicked for him.

It was a simple purple post-it note with “Happy Anniversary <3” written in her neat, loopy writing. Beneath that was an address that he would no doubt recognize.

She arrived earlier than him, so she could secure the booth that became _theirs_ during those first few weeks of the summer. And she ordered him the very same scotch that she surprised him with that very first night. She sat there waiting for him and giggled at the memory of this smirk when he received the drink, waiting for the mystery woman to approach him, only to find out it was Annie all along.

“This seat taken?” She almost jumped at the sound of his low and gravelly voice, but she quickly relaxed at the sight of him. He stood there, wearing his signature smirk and one of her favorite shirts. She melted at the fact that he changed into something more sleek and stylish. It worked well with the little navy dress she threw on.

“It’s all yours.”

She liked this, that they seemed to be playing along to whatever it was that sparked between them one year ago. He took the seat across from her, not pulling his eyes away once. She pushed the scotch towards him, grinning. He let out a quiet laugh, and she knew the memory was flooding back to him.

“Thanks, beautiful.”

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were hitting on me, babe,” she repeated his exact words back at him. She replayed that night over and over in her head. There was no way she’d ever forget what was said and how it made her feel.

“Is that how you talk to all the guys who compliment you?” He leaned in, grinning.

“Only when they’re dressed like that,” she whispered before they laughed together.

Jeff leaned in another inch, finally reaching her lips to press a soft kiss. “Happy anniversary,” he said tenderly, as he pulled back.

They spent the evening talking about anything and everything, and reflecting on all that had changed in the past year. It felt casual and comfortable, and like a relief because she cherished any time that she could spend with him just like this.

“Did you ever think we’d get to this point?”

He tilted his head and took a moment to think about it. “Honestly? No. I didn’t.” He covered her hand with his own over the table top. “I always hoped. But I didn’t think it would ever be as good as this.”

She blushed, “Neither did I.” She looked at him beneath her lashes. “I hoped, but I never knew what to expect.”

“Leave it to Annie Edison. Making me fall in love with her without even trying.”

“Like you’re one to talk,” she teased. “Falling for you had never been easier, Jeff Winger.”

“Yeah?”

She nodded, grinning. She then tilted her head and looked at him with a gleam in her eye. “Thanks for starting an illegitimate, fake Spanish study group, Jeff.”

“Thanks for buying me a drink.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone, for reading and providing feedback. I appreciate the kudos and every comment that I received. I started this fic a little over a year ago, and it was something I always found myself going back to. I'm happy that it's now finished and that I could share it with you guys! This has been one of my favorite things to write! Thank you thank you thank you!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to lovelytheband's "Broken" for inspiring the fic title. :)


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